Phone outpaces website for Health Connector

More than 77,000 people have visited the Hawaii Health Connector website since Oct. 1 to explore their options for getting affordable health care, but more people have successfully completed applications by phone so far than online.

Part of the reason may be the fact that plan rates were not available until Tuesday, but part of it may also be the difficulty of navigating the website and length of the application process, observers say.

So far, there have been 77,173 unique visitors to the Health Connector website, with 2,249 people starting an account and application, and 440 of them completing their applications, according to Executive Director Coral Andrews.

Meanwhile, the Contact Center helped 1,177 individuals and 178 small businesses complete applications over the phone from Oct. 1 through Thursday.

Andrews presented the figures Friday at a meeting of the Health Connector’s board of directors at the state Capitol. Completing an application is necessary before a consumer can actually enroll in a plan. Andrews did not have figures on how many people have enrolled so far.

Steve Tam, director of advocacy for AARP Hawaii, urged the organization to make the website easier to use. He said there is no "browse" option on the home page that allows visitors to compare rates and plans.

"Today’s Connector website now contains plans and rates," said Tam, speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting. "However, website navigation is cumbersome."

On the website now, consumers can view plans anonymously without completing an application, but it takes a few steps. They must click on the "get started" button, and then "Am I eligible? Find out now." They then must enter four pieces of information: household income, ZIP code, age and whether they use tobacco. Those fields, required under the Affordable Care Act, help narrow down the 95 plans available in the Hawaii exchange to the ones that fit an applicant.

Once consumers decide to apply, the application process can take 30 to 45 minutes, Tam said. He asked if it could be simplified, but Andrews pointed out that the many pieces of information that must be entered are required by the federal government. Nonetheless, she said, the staff would keep improving the website.

One concern that has come up among consumers is the security of the personal information they must enter in the application, including Social Security numbers. She said the public can be sure that their information is protected in a system that was set up under federal guidelines and reviewed personally by staff from the IRS who came to Hawaii.

"We are truly committed to protecting our customers’ privacy," she said. "We do not sell, trade or give away consumers’ personal information. We use leading technology to ensure the personal information is protected and secured. All of that is prescribed by the federal government."

Keali‘i Lopez, a board member, said that while the website was not fully functional from the get-go, people were able to use the call center to help them apply for health insurance.

"Having people that folks can actually talk to, I see that as the upside," she said.

The connector is also partnering with Marketplace Assister Organizations, which have trained staff who can work with applicants in person and help them enroll. They include agencies such as the Waimanalo Health Center, the Institute for Human Services and Kokua Kalihi Valley.

The Health Connector is a health insurance exchange established under the Affordable Care Act where people can find health care coverage as well as information on eligibility for tax credits and Medicaid. Its plans are generally less expensive than comparable plans outside the exchange because of shared risk among a broad pool of consumers.

Andrews said that while the Health Connector website got a slow start, it has some features that other state exchanges do not, such as a full directory of medical providers so consumers can see if their doctors are in a network.

She said the connector is much more than a website that dispenses information, but an interactive system that must mesh with multiple federal and state electronic systems and agencies.

Ultimately, the Hawaii Health Connector’s website may have some happy surprises for users.

Gerry Silva, president of AARP Hawaii, said one person he knows who has a pre-existing health condition had been paying $529 per month for health coverage and found that the same coverage through the exchange will cost him less than $300 a month.

The Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of pre-existing conditions.