Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 10, 1 October 2013 — OHA helps with outreach to uninsured Native Hawaiians [ARTICLE]

OHA helps with outreach to uninsured Native Hawaiians

By Harold Nedd As the state makes its final push to start offering insurance to those who don't have it, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will be helping inform its main audience about the upcoming start of open enrollment in the new heahh insurance marketplace. OHA Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer Kamana'opono Crabbe hosted a meeting with a representative of the Hawai'i Heahh Connector, the new state-based insurance exchange, whieh is an online marketplace created to help the uninsured find coverage. The meeting resulted in OHA agreeing to use its website, monthly newspaper and social-media platforms to help sign up uninsured Native Hawaiians for heahh coverage. They will be able on Oct. 1 to enroll online in new insurance plans available under the federal health law. That is the planned starting date for enrollment through the insurance exchange, for coverage that will take effect Jan. 1, 2014. Under the Affordable Care Act, the uninsured will have to buy insurance on so-called exchanges, whieh are online marketplaces that allow them to compare prices and choose policies. If they don't buy insurance, they will face an annual penalty on their taxes. "Perhaps our greatest contribution to this effort is our ability to help draw statewide attention to the need for Hawaiians to familiarize themselves with the new law and ensure that they have access to affordable heahh insuranee coverage," Crabbe said. For more information, visit: www.hawaiihealth connector.com. ■