Today, Secretary Sebelius, CMS Director Marilyn Tavenner, Valerie Jarrett, Chris Jennings and Denis McDonough met with health insurance executives to discuss open enrollment and ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The administration is committed to working in partnership with the insurers so we can successfully meet the great demand people have shown for the affordable health care coverage at the heart of the Affordable Care Act.
Specifically, we are collaborating closely with the insurers to address problems we have witnessed in what are called “834” forms and in direct enrollment. To that end, we have worked with the insurers and the “alpha teams” we jointly established made up of insurers’ technology experts and CMS technology experts, to iron out kinks in the both the 834 forms and in direct enrollment. These “alpha teams” are working side-by-side to correct challenges as soon as we see them. The teams have been meeting virtually with CMS and CGI and with tech teams associated with operations leaders on the industry.
Drawing on the industry techs’ experience in this way is a part of the “tech surge” that is incrementally improving performance at HealthCare.Gov. Today’s announcement is another way we are ensuring that we are doing everything possible to address the technical issues to ensure that all the American people who need it can purchase the affordable health care coverage made available as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
Attendees included:
· Mark Bertolini, CEO, Aetna
· Bruce Broussard, CEO, Humana
· Chet Burrell, CEO, CareFirst
· Patrick Geraghty, CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
· Jay Gellert, President & CEO, Health Net, Inc.
· Patricia Hemingway Hall, President & CEO, Health Care Services Corporation
· Daniel J. Hilferty, President & CEO, Independence Blue Cross
· Karen Ignagni, President & CEO, America’s Health Insurance Plans
· John Molina, Chief Financial Officer, Molina Healthcare
· Michael Neidorff, Chairman & CEO, Centene Corp.
· James Roosevelt, President & CEO, Tufts Health Plan
· Scott Serota, President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
· Joseph Swedish, CEO, Wellpoint
· Bernard Tyson, CEO, Kaiser Permanente