Project Overview
Access Health CT is one of the leading State Based Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) nationally, providing a highly successful implementation since State Based HIX went live on October 01, 2013.
ahCT Mobile is a visionary platform that pioneers the application of digital technologies to HIX, providing a rich Digital API that powers a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for HIX. It digitizes the business model for HIX to provide a mobile platform and digital services to State Based Health Insurance Exchanges, Private Health Insurance Exchanges, State Health and Human Services organizations and Insurance Carriers.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Peter Nichol, Director/Head IT, Access Health CT
Jason Madrak, Chief Marketing Officer, Access Health CT
Rina Singh, Executive Project Manager, Amtex Systems Inc.
Access Health CT formed a dedicated cross-functional team for the initiative and hired Amtex Systems as a vendor with experience in digital software product development utilizing mobile and Cloud technologies to realize the vision of this initiative. The cross-functional team at ahCT includes representatives from Business, Operations, Policy, Marketing and Information Technology to form a core team that has worked with Amtex Systems to design a product that applies digital technologies to have a transformational impact across the industry.
Project Brief
The Patient Protection and affordable Care Act (ACA), and the emergence of State Based Public Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) and Private Health Insurance Exchanges, are transforming the Health Insurance Industry. Since its launch on October 1, 2013, Access Health CT is one of the most successful State Based Health Insurance Exchanges nationally, helping close to 300,000 Connecticut residents find coverage, reducing the State’s uninsured rate by more than half.
Access Health CT is building upon this success to evolve the business and technology for HIX to the next level using digital technologies, not just for Access Health CT, but by also creating a Digital SaaS platform that could have a transformative effect on the entire Health Insurance Industry.
This digital platform powers the ahCT Mobile app and can be used to provide similar services to other Public and Private HIX. The platform’s standardized Digital API provides a simple, secure interface to highly complex business functions that power applying for health insurance, enrolling in plans, submitting verifications and receiving messages and notices.
This API has a transformative effect on the applications that can be built for HIX. The ahCT Mobile App leverages this API to have a dramatic effect on customer experience and their interaction with Access Health CT representatives. Representatives can work closely with customers to review plan information on a mobile device and provide a financial quote within seconds, while customers have their healthcare options available at their fingertips and can apply for health insurance faster than ever before!
Project Need
Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) are stimulating growth in the retail segment of the market, prompting a surge of individual insurance buyers forcing greater attention on the needs of members as opposed to employers. The Patient Protection and affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the launch of State Based Health Insurance Exchanges on October 01, 2013 accelerated this trend.
While millions of individuals have bought health insurance and availed benefits that help paying for coverage, the industry is facing several challenges in implementing these Marketplaces. While Access Health CT and a few additional States had successful implementations, the Federal Exchange (www.healthcare.gov) and several States faced numerous challenges. The Health Insurance Exchanges are highly complex systems that carry significant implementation risk and are very expensive to build.
The long term success of HIX and this industry transformation requires reducing the risk and expense of implementing these systems and evolving past the current challenges to look at how to provide a consumer focused experience. As individuals are evermore empowered to choose their own alternatives, insurance carriers and both Public and Private Exchanges need to develop business models, capabilities and offerings that rival sophisticated product companies like Apple and Proctor & Gamble.
The ahCT Mobile platform and Digital API is a one of a kind visionary initiative that makes it possible to build a range of consumer focused applications. Additionally, this platform provides a true SaaS capability that provides a low risk, affordable solution for Public and Private Exchanges to implement digital capabilities.
User Experience
ahCT Mobile is all about responding to and driving consumerism in the Health Insurance Industry and transforming the consumer experience. It is well understood that health insurance business processes are complex, and industry is facing several challenges at large in implementing and adapting to the newly established Health Insurance Exchanges. While the State Based Exchanges are stabilizing, they are providing the base minimum services required for a consumer focused experience.
Given the evolution of technology, customers are used to having several tools at their fingertips to access and manage information anywhere, anytime with an ever greater expectation for a personalized experience.
The ahCT Mobile platform and its Digital API lay the foundation for developing applications to provide such a consumer experience. It provides a simple but powerful and secure interface for accessing highly complex business functions. The ahCT Mobile App is already using it to transform the customer experience:
-Exchange representatives can provide customers a financial quote on mobile devices within seconds
-Customers have plan information at their fingertips to evaluate health insurance options
-Streamlined customer verifications with 10,000+ verification documents submitted using mobile device cameras
-Customers have instant access to messages and notices from the Exchange
-Mobile enroll provides a transformative application channel that is bound to become the quickest and easiest way for Customers to apply for health insurance, reducing the average application time to 10 minutes
Furthermore, upcoming releases will continue to provide digital features targeting Insurance Brokers and Navigators, Customers and Insurance Carriers.
Project Marketing
Our marketing strategy targets both customers and enterprises as we have developed a SaaS platform. On the consumer side, the ahCT Mobile app uses all aspects of our Digital API to provide features related to the consumer experience and to the interaction of Access Health CT representatives with customers at our brick and mortar stores and outreach events.
The ahCT Mobile app is published on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, and our customer portal, www.accesshealthct.com provides links to our mobile application splash page and the App Store and Play Store links.
Access Health CT representatives use the ahCT Mobile App in working with customers at our stores and outreach events.
On the enterprise side, we have created materials describing the ahCT Mobile platform and API and also implemented case studies for other enterprises. In one such case study, we used our platform for providing a “production ready” mobile app for an enterprise within three weeks which is previously unprecedented in the area of Health Insurance Exchanges.
Project Privacy
Access health CT has implemented state of the art security and privacy for all application systems including our website, API and mobile application.
Our systems have passed through rigorous reviews and validations by the Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) to meet CMS and IRS guidelines and standards for security.
All communication for the ahCT Mobile platform and Digital API is SSL secured. User account creation uses CAPTCHA. User actions can request anonymous browsing data or authenticated user information. Anonymous browsing requests are for data such as public information on health plans which is freely available to all users.
Any user specific information requires authenticated access. All API calls accessing or storing user specific information require the user to authenticate with his/her account information.
Our security infrastructure uses a state of the art Security Identity and Access Management Solution. All web and API requests go through this infrastructure.
Additionally, we perform security and vulnerability testing of our infrastructure on a regular basis.
Best API
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