Smart Benefits: HealthSource RI Gets More Federal Funding
Monday, January 26, 2015
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded $187 million in grants to a handful of state exchanges – and Rhode Island was one of the recipients. Of the total, Arkansas received nearly $100 million, New York got $64 million, Connecticut and Massachusetts each received $10 million, and Rhode Island was awarded about $3 million.
Federal Grants Available
Section 1311 of the ACA appropriated unspecified amounts for three types of grants for state-based exchanges:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST- Planning Grants. Exchange planning grants were awarded to 49 states and DC to conduct research and plan how their exchanges would be administered and operated.
- Establishment Grants. There are two levels of exchange establishment grants: Level One and Level Two. Level One grants provide up to one year of funding to states that have made some progress under their Planning Grants. States may seek additional years of level one funding to meet the requirements to apply for Level Two funds. Level Two grants are designed to provide funding to states farther along in the establishment of their exchange.
- Early Innovator Grants. Announced in 2011, these grants were designed to help “early innovator” states design and implement the information technology (IT) infrastructure needed to operate insurance exchanges that could then serve as models for other states.
Rhode Island has received multiple award grants since 2011 to build its exchange, HealthSource RI, including, a Planning Grant, an Early Innovator Grant, several Level One Establishment Grants, and a Level Two Establishment Grant.
Last Establishment Grant
Rhode Island’s latest award is another Level One Establishment Grant. The funds are to be used to help further develop the exchange operations before federal funding runs out. (No more Establishment Grants will be awarded after December 31, 2014, because; under the ACA, state-run exchanges were supposed to be self-sufficient by Jan. 1, 2015.)
Rhode Island intends to use the $3 million to support 2015 active renewals for all enrollees, as well as HealthSource RI projects such as IPA/CAC planning, training, and information Hub; Contact Center laptop procurement; technology developments to address current system issues around APTC eligibility, SHOP/individual, and family enrollment, and account functionalities; and a health insurance survey follow- up activity.
Rob Calise is a founding partner of Cornerstone Group, where he helps clients control the costs of employee benefits by focusing on consumer driven strategies and on how to best utilize the tax savings tools the government provides. Rob serves as Chairman of the Board of United Benefit Advisors, and is a board member of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI Broker Advisory Board, United HealthCare of New England Broker Advisory Board and Rhode Island Business Healthcare Advisors Council. He is also a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), American Health Insurance Association (AHIA) and the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), as well as various human resource associations. Rob is a graduate of Bryant University with a BS in Finance.
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