The DC Health Benefit Exchange (HBX) Executive Board has voted to adopt “DC Health Link” as the name of the new on-line marketplace that will offer individuals, families, and small businesses the ability to shop for health insurance and choose the coverage that best meets their needs and budgets.
DC Health Link will open for enrollment on October 1 and offer health insurance policies that cover a set of essential health benefits ranging from doctor visits to prescription drugs and preventive screenings and tests. People who enroll will have benefits effective January 1, 2014. The web tool will determine if residents are eligible for help in paying their premiums or for coverage through the District’s Medicaid program. DC Health Link will also have trained experts available online, on the phone, and in person to answer questions and assist with enrollment.
DC Health Link will feature private health insurance plans offered by insurers such as Aetna, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente, and United HealthCare. Health insurance plans offered through DC Health Link will also be the only plans with tax credits to help eligible individuals pay their premiums.
“The central purpose of all that we do is to improve the health of the residents of the District of Columbia. That is why “health” is at the center of our new name,” said Mohammad Akhter, M.D., chairman of the HBX Board. “The first step to improving health is assuring access to high-quality, affordable insurance and DC Health Link will make that possible for thousands of people.”
The Board also adopted a logo and tagline (see below) that will become the consumer-facing brand for the DC Marketplace. Board adoption followed several months of planning and research including a series of focus groups that included DC residents and small business owners. The Board’s Marketing and Consumer Outreach Working Committee, chaired by Kate Sullivan Hare, reviewed the research and recommended Board approval. To learn more about the research and focus groups used to create DC Health Link, select here [PDF].