The whole concept of the Hawaii Health Connector is more than a little confusing to a lot of people. That’s all the more so if they are uninsured and have no idea where to start getting insured before the federal government mandates that they do on Jan. 1, 2014.

So the staff of the Connector, the nonprofit entity assembling an online marketplace that will go live Oct. 1, hopes the human touch can help with that.

Hii Ola is what it calls its "marketplace assister program," aimed at helping to improve the reach of the Connector in reducing the number of those lacking health insurance.

The federal government alloted $6.7 million to fund the hiring of 191 assisters; this will happen through grants issued to 34 nonprofits selected to do the work.

The checks are not yet in the mail, though; Coral Andrews, the Connector’s executive director, said the groups will undergo training first to get up to speed on the health law and on the workings of the exchange in particular.

Andrews acknowledged that some of the nonprofits on the Hii Ola list are small, but their selection was based on a belief that their connection to the communities of the uninsured was the most critical. That may be especially true on the neighbor island where many residents feel disenfranchised from the Oahu powers-that-be, she said.

"In our community, we receive information more readily if we’re getting it from a trusted source," Andrews added. "If you tell me something, and I know you and I know your family, then I’m more likely to act on that than if I’m getting it from somebody that I don’t know, that I don’t trust.

"I might be shaking my head (yes), but then I’m going to do nothing afterwards."

The Connector outreach effort also includes the advertising campaign that started this week. And before the site (hawaiihealthconnector.com) really goes live with selling insurance, it will be part of this outreach and is worth a visit, she said.