Hawaii health exchange board approves transition plan
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By CATHY BUSSEWITZ
Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) - The board of Hawaii's financially troubled health exchange has approved a plan to shut down the small business side of the exchange and transition individual users to the federal marketplace.
The board unanimously approved the plan in a vote on Friday.
There are nearly 38,000 people enrolled in health care through the exchange, which is part of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.
Hawaii Health Connector CEO Jeff Kissel says under the plan, businesses offering coverage through the exchange can buy plans directly from insurers instead. Individual users are going to have to re-enroll using the website
. Those changes would happen during the next enrollment period.
Kissel says under the plan Hawaii's health exchange will become a federally-supported state-based marketplace. Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon have a similar setup.
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