Kentucky is the only southern state implementing all of the federal Affordable Care Act. A major tenant of the law are the Health Benefits Exchanges, which are online marketplaces where consumers can compare various insurance plans. Kentucky's exchange, known as kynect, is one week from going live. Kynect Executive Director Carrie Banahan says a Lexington contact center is fielding more than 100 calls a day.
“People ask ‘Does this affect my Medicare?’ The answer is no. People want to know how they can qualify and what the eligibility requirements are. We’ve also received questions about whether there is a limit on the number of people who can qualify for premium assistance, and the answer is no,” explains Banahan.
Kentuckians must be signed up by December 15th in order to receive coverage starting January 1. The state has about 640,00 people currently uninsured. It’s estimated that 300,000 will be added to Medicaid and nearly as many will qualify premium assistance.
