© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Connecticut, like other states, launched an online health exchange -- Access Health CT -- where residents can shop for and purchase health insurance. There could be new opportunities for the unemployed or uninsured to receive health insurance. Here, we gather our coverage of changes under the new federal law.

Connecticut's Health Care Exchange Faces Curtailed Open Enrollment

Access Health CT

Connecticut’s health insurance exchange, Access Health CT, is ramping up for open enrollment. The Obamacare marketplace is facing a number of challengesthis year. 

Right now, about 100,000 people in Connecticut rely on the exchange to buy their private health insurance.

Open enrollment in past years has been as long as four months. This year it will last just seven weeks beginning November 1.

Jim Wadleigh, CEO of Access Health CT, said that means his staff must work harder to reach out.

“With the shorter time period, we are spreading out even further around the state and we’re hoping that through this process we’ll allow more people to enroll,” he explained.

The exchange is planning five enrollment fairs around the state during October, and in November it will staff 10 outreach centers to give people in-person help.

One additional boost this year: the insurance carriers have agreed once again to pay broker fees, meaning independent brokers will be selling the plans.

While Access Health CT has its own marketing budget, the national budget for enrollment advertising has been slashed by the Trump administration.

Wadleigh said that’s bound to hurt with the absence of national TV ads.

“It’s hard for it not to have some sort of impact, in continuing the confusion that is going on in the marketplaces not only in Connecticut but at a national level,” he said.

In past years, Wadleigh said President Obama himself would tweet and create widely shared videos to publicize enrollment in his signature health program.

His successor seems unlikely to play that booster role this year.

Harriet Jones is Managing Editor for Connecticut Public Radio, overseeing the coverage of daily stories from our busy newsroom.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content