New California Health Benefit Exchange Gives Individuals and Small Businesses Better Access to Affordable Health Insurance

Beginning in 2014, California will institute the California Health Benefit Exchange, a health plan “marketplace” where uninsured individuals and small businesses can shop for and purchase high-quality health insurance. The Exchange will allow these individuals and small businesses to take advantage of the generous tax benefits allocated to employer-based health insurance. Rather than relying on their employment situation, people who purchase insurance through the Exchange will now be able to keep their health insurance from job to job without penalty.

What is the Health Benefit Exchange?

The Health Benefit Exchange falls under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in March of 2010. By January 1, 2014, the California Health Benefit Exchange is slated to go into effect. Individuals with low to moderate incomes, and small businesses of less than 100 employees will be eligible for federal tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies through the Exchange. While California is the first state to begin preliminary work toward establishing a Health Benefits Exchange under federal health reform law, other states are also working toward establishing their own HBE programs in accordance with health care reform.

The actual Health Benefit Exchange itself will be a web-based service acting as a “portal” for numerous health plans, enabling health care plan shoppers to compare coverage, offerings, rates, services and more. The Exchange will provide clear, easy-to-understand information to consumers through their website, which will offer standardized, detailed information about the plans, access to health plan experts, and a toll-free number to call for more information.

The California Health Benefit Exchange is expected to have 3 to 5 million members, which is 20% of the overall market.  According to Kim Belshe, a member of the CA Health Benefits Exchange Board, “the Exchange represents a way for millions of currently uninsured individuals to gain access to the affordable, high-quality coverage that has previously been denied to them.”

What are the Exchange’s benefits to consumers?

The California Health Benefit Exchange allows consumers to purchase health insurance on the private market and gives them greater purchasing power due to a more stable risk pool, increased competition among insurers, and the ability to “comparison shop” for healthcare.

Once the Exchange goes into effect:

• Consumers will be able to make smart choices regarding their health care coverage, based on comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about the available health plans
• Eligible consumers will receive tax credits and subsidies to purchase healthcare coverage
• Consumers will gain easy, convenient online access to health benefit plans, including comparative information on costs, quality, value and much more 
• Consumers will be able to use an online health plan calculator to compare costs across plan options

How does the Health Benefit Exchange affect language assistance programs and translation needs?

Estimates by the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California suggest that there are 6 to 7 million limited English proficient individuals living in California, and more than 40% of Californians do not speak English at home. To alleviate language and cultural barriers, the California legislature passed SB 853 in 2003 mandating that all California health plans provide language assistance services to their enrollees with Limited English Proficiency (LEP).

Because of the amount of new materials and information that must be translated prior to the implementation of the Health Benefit Exchange, it is vital that health plan providers have a solid translation strategy in place. Health plan providers will be responsible for translating all online materials, information and documentation into threshold languages, and providing LEP health plan shoppers with the same access to information that English speakers enjoy.

Connecting with consumers on a community level is critical to the success of the California Health Exchange

Health care providers, local government agencies and community-level health care  programs all must be prepared to get the Health Benefit Exchange message out to LEP consumers, giving them the information they need to access the Exchange. Marketing efforts are critical at every level, and translating marketing materials into threshold languages will play an important role in reaching targeted consumers.

According to Chad Silva, Policy Analyst, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, “Enrollment efforts must focus on both older and younger consumers through clinic and community-based outreach programs. It is critical that organizations have marketing and informative materials translated and ready to implement prior to the January 2014 deadline.”

Where does Avantpage fit in?

As the Language Assistance translation provider for the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), Avantpage has the expertise and experience to ensure that health plan information is translated accurately, swiftly, and cost-effectively. Avantpage has recently ramped up translation capacities, improved processing volume and timelines, and enhanced quality control and service abilities to further meet the needs of health care clients.

Avantpage has highly qualified translation teams in place consisting of certified linguists who are trained specialists in threshold languages including Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian (Khmer), Chinese, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Avantpage’s AvantFlow online translation management system, experienced project managers, translation memory tools, and expert linguistic teams ensure that translation services consistently exceed industry standards and requirements. Avantpage is fully prepared to handle increased workloads due to the 2014 Health Benefit Exchange deadline.