Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • October 15, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS: Employee Benefits/Insurance Health insurers test new employer wellness programs Q&A talks with Jason Madrak, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's regional vice president in Con- necticut, about the insurer's newest employer wellness program. Q. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care recently partnered with New Haven app startup Fitscript to offer access to a diabetes control program based on exercise, technology and real-time glucose levels. The program, called GlucoseZone, is now being offered to your Connecticut employer clients. How does it work and how did this partnership come about? A. GlucoseZone's patented digital health exercise program is based on an individual's needs and aims to help people with diabetes lower their blood glucose levels, reduce reliance on medi- cations and manage their body weight. GlucoseZone provides exercise guid- ance and support from a team of diabe- tes and fitness professionals dedicated to helping members get active. Exercise routines are customized based on diabetes type, real-time blood sugar levels and other biomet- rics. This program addresses the often-missing exercise component of diabetes management and offers a resource for individuals to promote improved self-care. This pilot program complements Harvard Pilgrim's exist- ing diabetes-management program — including access to nurse care manag- ers at Harvard Pilgrim who have been trained on the GlucoseZone app. Participation in GlucoseZone starts with the eligible Harvard Pilgrim member downloading the app. Next, the member creates a profile that in- cludes information about their diabe- tes type, medication usage, comorbid- ity conditions, physical limitations and other information required to create a customized experience. Upon completion of the initial on- boarding, members have access to live and on-demand programming, digital coaches, certified diabetes educators, Jason Madrak Regional Vice President, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com W est Hartford insurance broker Jason Gutcheon said he doesn't recommend his small-business customers enroll in employer health plans sold through Access Health CT. He said he doesn't see benefits to buying Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) coverage through the state's official insurance exchange, cre- ated in 2013 as a result of the Affordable Care Act, compared to purchasing di- rectly from insurance companies, which allows for greater plan customization. Exchange plan affordability has also been an issue, he said. Meantime, Hartford small business owner Kevin Galvin, who owns Con- necticut Commercial Maintenance Inc. and sits on the state's SHOP advisory committee, said he doesn't offer his two employees exchange coverage either. The program and coverage, he said, hasn't been user friendly for its customer base: employers with 50 or fewer full-time employees. "In my view, since 2013, there has not been adequate, if any … outreach to small businesses to educate them around what their options are, and how to be involved," said Galvin, who thinks selecting plans from SHOP is often too com- plicated for non- experts. "Buying insurance in Con- necticut is not for mere mortals." That a broker and small busi- ness owner would hold these opinions of SHOP comes as no surprise to Gary D'Orsi. He's the SHOP director at Ac- cess Health CT. "In all honesty, for the first couple years on the exchange, the concentra- tion and focus was really on the indi- vidual market more than the small- group market," D'Orsi said. But that's changing this year. In recent months, Access Health has been partnering with business groups like chambers of commerce and professional associations to promote SHOP, and explain how companies can benefit from buying health plans through the exchange, as opposed to directly from insurers. It has work to do. With about 250 employers currently enrolled in SHOP plans through Ac- cess Health CT, Connecticut's small group insurance exchange is dwarfed by Massachusetts', which has 1,249 group enrollees. But, D'Orsi said, considering that 94 of those Connecticut employers signed up since the beginning of 2017, the number shows growing interest and an opportunity to strengthen SHOP, as Access Health continues outreach efforts to the business community. "My goal is to double the number of groups and lives that we have for fiscal year '19," D'Orsi said. Complaints about SHOP vary, depend- ing on who you ask. Gutcheon points out that while plans on the exchange are rich in benefits, they're also expensive and come as-is. When he deals directly with insurance companies, Gutcheon said he can add and remove certain coverage to customize a plan for his clients. However, the recent addition of ConnectiCare Inc. to the exchange, which previously hosted only An- them Health Plans Inc., changes that calculus a bit. ConnectiCare eschewed SHOP when the exchange began in 2013, citing federal regulations that then-President Michael Wise called "vague, complex and in some cases contradictory." The SHOP exchange started with three car- riers — Anthem, United Healthcare and HealthyCT — but United and HealthyCT both left, leaving only Anthem, until SHOPping for Coverage Insurance exchange aims to raise profile, attraction of small business health insurance option Jason Gutcheon, Insurance Broker Gary D'Orsi, SHOP Director, Access Health CT PHOTO | HBJ FILE Hartford business owner Kevin Galvin said the state's insurance exchange, Access Health CT, has struggled to connect with smaller employers, which often have difficulties finding affordable health coverage for their workers.

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