KENTUCKY PRESS NEWS SERVICE
Gov. Steve Beshear Wednesday announced the launch of public education
and awareness efforts for the state’s health benefit exchange, called
kynect: Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection.
Kentuckians can visit the website at kynect.ky.gov to learn more about
the program, which is expected to help more than 600,000 uninsured
Kentuckians get coverage through private insurance plans or Medicaid and
the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP).
“When I issued an executive order last year creating a state-based
health benefit exchange, I did so to ensure that our health benefit
exchange would be designed to best meet the unique needs of
Kentuckians,” Beshear said in a statement. “Today I am pleased to
introduce kynect: Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection to the state.
Individuals, families and small businesses will be able to use kynect
for one-stop shopping to find health coverage and determine if they are
eligible for payment assistance or tax credits to help cover costs.”
Open enrollment for individuals seeking to purchase insurance through
kynect begins Oct. 1 and runs through March 31, 2014, with coverage
beginning as soon as Jan. 1, 2014. Open enrollment for small businesses
also begins Oct. 1, but businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be
able to choose to enroll employees in plans offered through kynect at
any point after that date, according to a news release from Beshear's
office.
During open enrollment, Kentuckians will be able to compare and select
health insurance plans and discover if they qualify for programs like
Medicaid and KCHIP by using the kynect website, a toll-free contact
center, a mail-in application or in person.
With kynect, individuals will find out if they qualify for payment
assistance and special discounts on deductibles, copays and
co-insurance. Small businesses will be able to use kynect to enroll
their employees in health plans, and businesses with fewer than 25
employees may qualify for tax credits by using kynect, the news release
said.
The Kentucky Office of the Health Benefit Exchange within the Cabinet
for Health and Family Services will oversee the operations of kynect.
The KHBE was created by an executive order Gov. Beshear issued in July
2012, as part of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirement for a
health benefits exchange to be active in each state by the end of this
year. KHBE currently is funded through federal grants, and is required
to be self-sustaining by 2015.
“Starting today, we are undertaking a major education and awareness
campaign to ensure that all uninsured Kentuckians understand how kynect
can help them and their families find affordable health coverage,” CHFS
Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes said in the news release. “In the coming
months, kynect staff will be attending community events, adding more
information to our website, and opening up a toll-free hotline. We want
everyone to know a healthier future for Kentucky is on the way and where
to go to apply when open enrollment arrives.”
Through kynect, all Kentuckians will have access to available elements of the ACA, including:
No one can be denied coverage due to a pre-existing health condition or lose coverage because a family member gets sick;
Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging women more than men for the same coverage; and
Children will be allowed to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan until they reach the age of 26.
“We are very excited about the launch of kynect and open enrollment this
fall,” Carrie Banahan, executive director of the KHBE, said. “In
addition to the peace of mind and better health that comes with quality
health coverage, individuals and businesses with fewer than 25 employees
may be eligible for premium assistance and tax credits by using kynect
to purchase health insurance.”
