Connecture Will Play A Key Role In The Creation Of Minnesota's Health Insurance Exchange

WAUKESHA, Wis., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Connecture, Inc., the leader in sales automation technology for the health insurance industry, today announced that it will support the design and development of a statewide health insurance exchange in the State of Minnesota. As a subcontractor to MAXIMUS (NYSE: MMS), who was selected as the prime contractor to design and develop the State's health insurance exchange, Connecture will support the enrollment and health insurance sales function of the exchange.

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Minnesota is among the first states in the nation to engage the required technology and service providers to begin work to create a health insurance exchange, or HIX, that allows state residents to easily shop for, compare and purchase health insurance online. With the signing to participate in the alliance with MAXIMUS in Minnesota, Connecture is now engaged with two states that are moving forward to create state health insurance exchanges.

MAXIMUS and the state of Minnesota will use Connecture's StateAdvantage, a comprehensive offering that encompasses the technologies and services required for reliable, consumer-friendly HIX.  A commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) suite of software solutions that enable states to create effective health insurance exchanges, StateAdvantage is modular in nature – allowing states to pick and choose the features and functionality they need.

Minnesota will use four of the many modules that comprise StateAdvantage to enable consumers, state employees, health plans, brokers, navigators, and others to effectively use the Minnesota health insurance exchange.  Specifically, Connecture's technologies will power the shopping and enrollment functions of the exchange, including:

• Individual enrollment: Minnesotans will use Connecture's technology to enroll in the health plans offered on the exchange.
• Small employer eligibility: A module of StateAdvantage will be used to process small employers' applications for financial assistance, as well as to provide information on whether to purchase a group health benefit plan or establish a defined contribution for their employees.
• The certification and display of qualified health plans for brokers and navigators: StateAdvantage will process information generated by government agencies to determine if health insurance plans are certifiable – and therefore able to be offered in Minnesota's exchange – for review by insurance brokers and "navigators" that help users find the best plan for them.
• The display of participating healthcare providers: Users of the exchange will be able to easily find and compare doctors and healthcare organizations that participate in plans offered on the exchange – making it even easier for Minnesotans to find the plan they want.

"It's impossible at this moment to answer definitively many of the questions that arise as states move to address the requirements of PPACA, but whether or not they can put an effective health insurance exchange in place is not one of them," said Dan Maynard, president of Connecture.  "Building an exchange is a complex undertaking, but it leverages the marketplaces Connecture has created for the nation's most successful health plans for years.  This team, led by MAXIMUS and supported by fellow subcontractors IBM and EngagePoint, brings with it a proven track record of creating the types of systems Minnesota wants on time and on budget."  

More than half of the nation's 20 largest insurance carriers use Connecture's technologies and more than 25 million Americans purchase their health insurance on systems built by Connecture.

About Connecture

Connecture is the leading provider of Web-based technologies used to create health insurance marketplaces and exchanges. Its industry-proven solutions effectively assist consumers and employees with the health insurance shopping and purchasing process and minimize back-office administrative tasks, such as workflow and health plan management, application processing, renewal processing and integration with health plans, state and federal programs. More than 25 million Americans purchase their health insurance through systems built by Connecture and more than half of the nation's 20 largest carriers rely on Connecture's technologies and services to sell, administer and manage their plans and products effectively.  For more information visit the Connecture website at www.connecture.com.

Media Contact:
Ken Phillips
Davies Murphy Group
Ph. 781.418.2437
[email protected]

About MAXIMUS

MAXIMUS is a leading health and human services administrator for governments in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The Company delivers administrative solutions to improve the cost effectiveness, efficiency and quality of government-sponsored benefit programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Health Insurance BC (British Columbia), as well as welfare-to-work and child support enforcement programs across the globe. The Company's primary customer base includes federal, provincial, state, county and municipal governments. Operating under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, MAXIMUS has more than 8,800 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.maximus.com.

SOURCE Connecture, Inc.