Coral Andrews

The executive director of the new Hawaii Health Connector undergoes a trial by fire

By Vicki Viotti

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 11, 2012

~~<p>Coral Andrews, the retired Navy captain, is sailing into what can be described as uncharted waters, at least for Hawaii. In physical terms, this translates into folding chairs, card tables and other elements of the temporary offices the new Hawaii Health Connector now occupies. What's more, as the Connector's executive director, Andrews is overseeing the construction of an online service that has never existed here before.</p>
<p>But, she said, describing it as "a Travelocity concept" may help people to envision it. Just like the Internet travel booking portal, the Connector will be a site that pulls together health insurance plans into a database that "shoppers" will be able to find through a fairly basic search. These shoppers are people not covered by their employer, small businesses seeking coverage for employees and potential Medicaid beneficiaries.</p>
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Coral Andrews, the retired Navy captain, is sailing into what can be described as uncharted waters, at least for Hawaii. In physical terms, this translates into folding chairs, card tables and other elements of the temporary offices the new Hawaii Health Connector now occupies. What's more, as the Connector's executive director, Andrews is overseeing the construction of an online service that has never existed here before.

But, she said, describing it as "a Travelocity concept" may help people to envision it. Just like the Internet travel booking portal, the Connector will be a site that pulls together health insurance plans into a database that "shoppers" will be able to find through a fairly basic search. These shoppers are people not covered by their employer, small businesses seeking coverage for employees and potential Medicaid beneficiaries. Login for more...