5Q: Anya Rader Wallack

 / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
/ PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

1What are some of your goals for the first 90 days as director of HealthSource RI?

More than 30,000 Rhode Islanders now have access to coverage that may not have been available to them before the exchange was built. However, it’s now time to right-size the organization for Rhode Island’s needs, and to address the technology and customer-service issues that have been hindering the enrollment process. I’m working closely with the governor on a responsible budget and revenue-model options to make sure the exchange can be self-sustaining. I’m also evaluating our existing contracts to make sure we’re maximizing value. Then I’ll turn toward increasing enrollment and attracting more small businesses.

2Are small businesses finding it worthwhile to participate in the state exchange?

Many businesses are attracted to our ‘full employee choice’ model (76 percent of all enrolled businesses have chosen this option), where an employer picks a contribution amount and employees can select from any of the plans offered by our major carriers. This gives businesses control over one of their largest budget items, healthcare, and allows them to offer their employees a wide range of options.

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3Why is it more effective for Rhode Island to have its own health exchange?

Ceding control of the state exchange to the federal government also means ceding authority for everything from cost to operations to customer service. Rhode Island can better achieve its health care policy objectives and foster innovation in the market, while being more responsive to Rhode Islanders’ needs, if we maintain a state-based exchange.

4Are re-enrollments growing at the rate you would expect or want in 2015?

We have approximately 27,000 paid customers in the individual market with a 77 percent renewal rate over last year. Additionally, we’ve enrolled 446 small employers and 3,250 covered employees. We aim to accelerate enrollment next year in both markets.

5You recently acknowledged problems with consumers accessing and getting approved for coverage. Are the technical problems fixed and what are you doing to improve customer service?

An unacceptable number of unresolved customer issues still exist, and we are working diligently to resolve them. I am requiring our vendors to categorize these problems, identify and fix the root causes so that they don’t reoccur, and implement performance metrics that allow us to know – day by day and week by week – if customer service and system performance are steadily improving. •

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