Mississippi releases first phase of its health insurance exchange procurement

Deltek Analyst Aila Altman reports.

The Mississippi Comprehensive Health Risk Pool Association – the entity created to implement the state’s health insurance exchange (HIX) – just released a request for proposals (RFP) for the first phase of the HIX portal. The selected vendor’s top priority will be to create the initial operational exchange portal for the state’s health insurance options.

Mississippi is taking a four-phase approach to its HIX implementation in hopes it will allow consumers time to build trust in the exchange. The state aims to have the initial exchange Web portal up and running by March 30, 2012.

Upon implementation of the Web portal, the state will solicit vendors to provide additional exchange components including unsubsidized exchange functionality, subsidized exchange functionality. eligibility determination, and other supportive services.

In addition to the provision of health insurance plans, the Mississippi HIX will provide consumers with a number of helpful tools to assist in understanding the available health insurance options. This includes a toll-free telephone hotline; a website; a rating of each available plan; information about eligibility for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other available public assistance programs; a calculator to determine the cost of care; and a consumer outreach program.

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