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What Ails The Maryland Health Exchange?

A screenshot of the Maryland Health Connection, after we tried to log in.
A screenshot of the Maryland Health Connection, after we tried to log in.

The director of Maryland’s online health exchange resigned on Friday. On the Checkup, we talk about the challenges the exchange faces and possible solutions.

As of November 30, almost 3,800 Marylanders had enrolled in private health insurance through the Maryland Health Connection, the state’s online health exchange. They’re hoping to sign up 150,000 in the first year of the exchange. But, it’s been plagued by technical glitches and errors.

We reached out to talk about the exchange with Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Joshua Sharfstein, head of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as well as Carolyn Quattrocki, who’s Governor Martin O’Malley’s lead on health care reform and is now the interim director of the online marketplace. They were not available, but they’ll be holding a press conference this morning in Baltimore to talk about the exchange.

With Sheilah Kast now to talk about it is Sarah Gantz. She reports on health care for the Baltimore Business Journal.

Produced by Matt Purdy.

Our series ‘The Checkup: How Health Care Is Changing in Maryland’ is made possible by grants from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the Baltimore Association of Health Underwriters, and HealthCare Access Maryland.