Cover Oregon (CO) Consumers Advisory Committee meeting Feb. 7, 2014

Because of snow, this meeting was virtual and lasted only an hour and 15 minutes. Director Bruce Goldberg gave a 20-minute update on enrollment: in addition to 123,000 people enrolled fast-track, 67,517 applicants were enrolled in OHP and 35,247 in commercial plans; an additional 35,000 applicants have received information to enroll. Process is “hybrid” – a combination of internet and paper modes (no full internet yet). CO is working with agents and community partners and testing upgrades. CO is restructuring its customer service to improve flow. Also: The cost of hiring additional people is being covered within existing budgets of OHA and CO; it still is possible for CO to be self-funded at the required time; there is an improved online-fillable pdf application; they are looking at contingencies to put into place IF the site is not IT-ready at the end of the open-enrollment period (probably this is Mar. 15—not sure, and they are asking the feds to extend it, but doubt their request will be granted).
Following are answers to a few of the many questions he responded to: MODA has gotten most of the commercial business, and with Kaiser this amounts to more than ¾ of enrollees. After CO determines eligibility for OHP, the files go to OHA, which is supposed to send info to enrollees and OHA has backlogs (he hopes within the next 10 days this will be caught up). An applicant who is determined OHP eligible is covered retroactively to the date of the application, whereas someone enrolling in a commercial plan starts on the first of a month (depending on when the forms come in). Ads for CO have been pulled but a public service campaign will begin toward the end of Feb. to highlight the Mar. 15 enrollment deadline.  –Roberta Hall, CAC member from Corvallis