NYC Health Insurance Link launches new website for high quality health insurance access

HealthConnect Systems, the leading online network for buyers and sellers of health insurance and employee benefits, announced today that its technology powers the NYC Health Insurance Link (www.nyc.gov/HILink), which went live today at a ceremony hosted by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. New York City’s Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA) and Management Information Systems (MIS), divisions of NYC’s Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS), developed this innovative website to bring high quality health insurance access to New York City residents and small businesses.

“The City of New York is one of the first governmental entities to launch a health insurance website whereby its citizens can obtain accurate, unbiased and complete information about available health insurance plan options,” said Peter Everett, President and CEO of HealthConnect Systems. “We are very pleased to have been selected by them to help power the NYC Health Insurance Link, and look forward to working with them in the future on enhancing the site even more.”

The NYC Health Insurance Link (NYC HI Link) helps New York City residents and small business owners find health insurance. New Yorkers can compare the costs and benefits of selected health plans, explore strategies to make coverage more affordable, and learn some “basics” about health insurance, such as definitions of the words insurers use and facts about consumer protections. NYC HI Link is the first of its kind in New York. It provides an on-line, unbiased resource, developed from a consumer perspective, providing detailed information about the costs and benefits of specific plans available in New York City in a way that allows consumers to better understand, and compare, different plans. It also can help employers find ways to better afford health insurance coverage for employees and, in some cases, help individuals find ways to pair public and private health insurance.

Central to OCHIA’s mission is for consumers to obtain unbiased and complete information regarding available health plans. To accomplish this goal, OCHIA worked with Connecticut-based HealthConnect Systems, the leading provider of multi-carrier comparison tools, to present a full range of plans from all health carriers available to New York City residents with a complete description of each plan.

“HealthConnect makes it possible for NYC HI Link to keep consumers up to date with cost and benefit information, enabling them to make choices that best fit their needs,” said Marjorie Cadogan, the Executive Deputy Commissioner of OCHIA.

In May 2009, HealthConnect Systems and The Trizetto Group formed a long-term strategic partnership to give all health insurance industry participants, including carriers, agents, general agents, consumers, small businesses and governmental organizations, the ability to get an insurance quote, select a carrier and enroll for that insurance online. Central to the strategy of HealthConnect and TriZetto is to help governmental organizations implement health insurance exchanges, also referred to as connectors, from which governmental organizations can provide citizens access to a complete range of health plans from multiple providers.

“HealthConnect and TriZetto believe such connectors will become an important source of health insurance distribution and expect to provide a compelling value proposition for all parties needed to make an exchange successful, including agents and general agents,” said Eric Grossman, Vice President of Strategy and Communications for TriZetto. “Powering the New York City Health Insurance Link represents the first of what HealthConnect and Trizetto expect will be numerous opportunities in this area.”

New York City’s HRA/DSS serves more than 3 million New Yorkers in need through diverse programs and services that include essential work and family support, such as public health insurance (Medicaid, Family Health Plus), food stamps, child support, child care, and home care for seniors and the disabled. Through OCHIA, www.nyc.gov/healthstat, HRA/DSS also works to expand health insurance access for all New Yorkers. For the past six years, the Office has collaborated with other City and State agencies and private-sector partners to promote affordable health insurance through targeted outreach and critical analysis. OCHIA coordinates City-wide partnerships to ensure that New Yorkers eligible for public health insurance programs are enrolled in them. The Office conducts outreach and education forums with chambers of commerce, local development corporations and other business and community organizations to improve access to affordable private health insurance options for the City’s small businesses, sole proprietors and working individuals. OCHIA also engages in policy initiatives that complement and support its outreach and enrollment efforts.