Health Connect Problems Continue

Vermont Health Connect is the state’s exchange website and the bureaucracy that acts as the “agent” between the public and the two remaining ACA insurers in Vermont. This morning, the Burlington Free Press reported behind its paywall that “Vermont Health Connect problems continue despite improvements.”

Management of health coverage through Vermont Health Connect continues to be rocky as the website continues to rely on manual back-end processes when someone’s household income has changed or when a dependent has been added or removed from coverage. In those cases, a staff member has to manually enter the information into multiple databases.

For people who had a change in circumstance or some other issue carried over from the previous year, problems can take weeks or even months to resolve. A lot of those people have had their problems snowball, Vermont Legal Aid’s health care advocate said. “Our call volume has actually gone up for problems. … The calls we’re getting, the problems are taking way longer to resolve. They’re more complicated.”

What a surprise.

 

One thought on “Health Connect Problems Continue

  1. “Vermont Health Connect problems continue despite improvements.”

    Few things are more eye-catching to a housewife shopper than seeing the words “New” or “Improved” on a grocery shelf item.

    Last Fall, I bought a sack of my ‘old reliable’ dry cat food because it said “New and Improved” on the label.

    I thought, “This must be naturally good.” But, naturally, the cats would not eat it.

    However, when I called the manufacturer to complain, they had the perfect Band-Aid solution: “Just add the new and improved to an equal quantity of the older version,” the taped message said, “and give your kitty time to get accustomed to the new taste.”

    Of course, I had none of the older version left because it was so tasty they ate it all up.

    I’m sure if a complaining citizen calls Vermont Health Connect, the agency will have a similarly helpful — taped — suggestion.

    — George

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