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October 10, 2013 01:00 AM

Reform Update: Provider-network info on insurance exchanges varies by state

Maureen McKinney
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    Whether consumers shopping for health coverage on the new state insurance exchanges are able to browse health plans' provider networks and see whether their doctor and hospital are included depends largely on the state in which they live.

    Some state-run exchanges have managed to avoid many of the initial technical glitches that have plagued the federally run marketplace. But certain states are performing better than others in providing consumers with information about in-network doctors and hospitals for the various plans.

    That's important information to many Americans in choosing a health plan, particularly because a significant percentage of exchange plans are offering narrow provider networks to keep premiums down.

    Visitors to Minnesota's state-run exchange, MNsure, for instance, can preview provider networks by clicking on an Excel spreadsheet, which lists all of the available health plans with links to provider-search tools on each insurer's website.

    “We've had that information available from the beginning but now we feature it more prominently on our website,” said MNsure spokesman John Reich. “We've worked with carriers to feature those links so folks could make informed decisions.”

    Covered California, California's state-run exchange, struggled to get its provider directory function up and running in the first week of open enrollment last week. That left visitors to the site unable to search for their doctor.

    On Oct. 7, the California marketplace launched its directory, which allows users to search for specific physicians or hospitals and see which plans on the exchange include those providers in their networks. They can do that leaving without Covered California's website.

    But on Oct. 9, Covered California pulled the provider directory offline, citing high traffic and slow page-loading speed.

    “We anticipate the directory will return next week with improved performance,” said spokesman Roy Kennedy. Until then, he said, Covered California's website contains a contact list for insurers participating in the exchange. Consumers also can access information by phoning the exchange's service center.

    Kennedy said Covered California staffers are reconfiguring some of the directory's navigation paths, adding capacity and enhancing its search functions. “We recognize that many consumers will base plan selection on the provider network so it's critical that it's operating efficiently,” he said. “We think the next version of the directory will be faster, smoother and easier to use.”

    In the 36 states with federally run exchanges, consumers will be able to click on links directing them to provider-search functions on insurers' websites, said Claire McAndrew, a senior health policy analyst with Families USA. That is, if visitors are actually able to access the federal marketplace website. On day 10 of open enrollment, attempts to open accounts on healthcare.gov were met with error messages.

    Hawaii to re-launch exchange

    Hawaii officials say they'll re-launch the state's insurance exchange, Hawaii Health Connector, after a glitch-plagued first week. In a Wednesday hearing with state officials, Coral Andrews, the exchange's executive director, acknowledged the rough start and asked for patience as staffers worked to correct problems with the site. She projected the exchange would be up and running by Oct. 15. Hawaii's exchange will offer 95 health plans to individuals and small businesses.

    Kentucky exchange website logs 193,000 unique visitors

    Kentucky's insurance exchange, kynect, has logged more than 193,000 unique visitors and 3.7 million page views, according to its most recently released figures. More than 26,000 people have started applications for coverage on the site, with 18,351 completed. As of 11 a.m. EDT today, 8,462 individuals had completed the enrollment process, officials said. Many observers say kynect has been among the most successful state-run exchanges so far.

    Follow Maureen McKinney on Twitter: @MHMMcKinney

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