Covered California Website Goes Live -
Friday, February 15, 2013
Source: California Association of Health Underwriters (CAHU)
February 15, 2013 – The new “Covered California” (new name of the California Health Benefit Exchange) website is “live” www.CoveredCA.com.
The Covered California website has been designed for ease of use by all stakeholders, including licensed agents and employers. In fact, the new website contains individual and small employer content on the Small Employer Health Options Program (SHOP) section. A newsletter specifically about SHOP Exchange happenings is expected to launch sometime in the first quarter of 2013.
According to Covered California, the site is available in both English and Spanish versions, plus a variety of fact sheets in eleven additional languages. The new website provides basic information about the Exchange, and a built in calculator to “give Californians an estimate of how much help they can get to reduce their premium costs”. Covered California also encourages participation on their social media sites – like Facebook and Twitter. They can be accessed by going to these links:
www.facebook.com/CoveredCalifornia; www.twitter.com/CoveredCA; www.twitter.com/CoveredCA_es (en Español);www.youtube.com/CoveredCalifornia; and www.gplus.to/CoveredCalifornia.
The Health Benefit Exchange website( www.healthexchange.ca.gov) will continue to provide information about HBEX board meetings, reports, grant and other solicitations, jobs, news and updates.
Covered California has a webcast press conference today to announce new standardized benefits. The press conference begins at 10 a.m. and can be viewed at www.hbex.ca.gov website. Participation is for credentialed press only, but you are invited to listen in.
Agents are advised to review all their marketing materials and websites with an eye towards avoiding inadvertent violation of AB 1761 rules. AB 1761 was signed into law last year, took effect January 1 of this year, and prohibits any individual or website from attempting to hold their selves, plans or websites out as officially authorized as “Covered California” certified or approved. Word has come down that the Exchange plans a hard crackdown on violators of AB 1761 provisions. AB 1761 was supported by all three agent organizations as well as other consumer health advocates.
CAHU is also actively participating, along with NAIFA California, IIABCal, and other industry stakeholders in Covered California’s specific advisory group related to matters affecting SHOP. CAHU will continue to update members these discussions along with other Covered California news.