A Virginia-based company that provides government services worldwide said it has launched its Health Insurance Exchange offerings, designed to help states meet federal regulatory requirements included in federal health reform legislation.

Bruce Caswell

MAXIMUS, a Reston, Va., health and human relations consulting company, said its exchange will help states assess, design, implement and operate a cost-effective and efficient exchange that meets all federal and state requirements, according to a statement.
“State leaders must make critical decisions regarding how they extend health insurance coverage through an Exchange,” said Bruce Caswell, president and general manager of MAXIMUS Health Services, in a statement. “Our exchange solutions utilize our extensive government health insurance program experience to apply best practices that address each state’s unique challenges of expanding coverage and meeting the federal requirements.”

MAXIMUS intends to leverage its experience with Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and other state-designed insurance programs to help state leaders, the statement said.

Under the reform law passed in March, states must develop exchanges where individuals and small-business owners can obtain information and buy health insurance, starting in 2014. Additionally, states must meet a “readiness determination” deadline Jan. 1, 2013, at which time they must be deemed ready to offer the exchanges one year later.

The exhange solutions focus on three key areas: assessment solutions to help states analyze their current infrastructure, translate the federal requirements to meet their situations; operations support to provide the necessary technology and program management support to implement an effective exchange that addresses governance, eligibility determination, linkage to other major subsidized programs, customer support and educational outreach; and quality-related services to help states ensure that the technology and operational components of the exchange and supporting systems are developed and deployed in a manner protecting consumer rights and other compliance requirements.