New York Receives Federal Grant for Health Benefit Exchange - FOX44 - Burlington / Plattsburgh News, Weather & Sports

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces $185.8 million federal grant for New York's health benefit exchange.

According to a press release, the grant will help make it easier for New Yorkers to obtain affordable health insurance coverage.

"The creation of an easy-to-use Health Exchange is an important step to reduce the number of uninsured New Yorkers and make health insurance more affordable for individuals, families and small businesses," Governor Cuomo said. "This latest grant is a reflection of New York's leadership in creating an effective Exchange and will help us to build on the progress we have already achieved."

The Exchange Establishment grant will provide New York with funding to:
• Build a new, modern information technology system to enable people to apply for and enroll in health insurance on-line;
• Establish a first-class customer service center to help individuals and small businesses select health insurance that best meets their unique needs;
• Train and deploy a statewide network of in-person assistors to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate assistance to consumers;
• Cover staffing resources needed to plan and implement the Health Exchange;
• Implement accounting and monitoring systems to ensure accountability;
• Develop and conduct an evaluation to measure progress toward achieving the goals of reducing both the number of uninsured New Yorkers and the cost of insurance; and
• Create and launch a marketing and educational outreach campaign to help the state realize its enrollment goals.

Open enrollment in New York's Health Benefit Exchange will begin Oct. 1, 2013, with coverage starting Jan. 1, 2014.