Anthem beefs up team that answers DirigoChoice calls

Sunday, October 10, 2004

By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA -- More than 1,800 people called to get information about a new health insurance program launched last week.

DirigoChoice, a collaborative effort between the state and Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, is a health insurance program targeted to the 130,000 people in the state who aren't already covered.

Anthem opened its phone lines last Monday to a throng of callers who wanted to find out how much it would cost to get insurance, said Trish Riley, director of the Governor's Office of Health Policy and Finance.

"The first day was wild," she said. "It was really jammed at Anthem."

Sharon Roberts, director of stakeholder relations at Anthem, said some callers ended up in voice mail or waiting on hold longer than the company would have liked.

"We didn't anticipate the volume at 8:05 on Monday morning," she said.

Since then, Anthem has worked to put more people on duty answering the phones. Riley said most callers were patient, understanding that this was the first week of a new program.

Riley, appointed to her position by Gov. John Baldacci, has worked for 18 months to get the Dirigo Health program created, approved by the Legislature, and up and running. The overall program is designed to attack the state's health care problems from three angles -- access, cost and quality.

DirigoChoice is the health insurance component of the program. The initial rate for single individuals is $310 a month, which can go up or down by 20 percent depending on age, geography and type of business, Riley said. For family coverage, the basic rate is $930 a month.

Depending on income, some may qualify for discounts, she said.

"Maine has the lowest rate of employer-sponsored health insurance in the Northeast," Riley said.

So far, about 12 people have returned the necessary forms to apply for coverage, which begins Jan. 1.

In the first quarter, the program is limited to 2,200 sole proprietors, but there is no limit on the number of small businesses that can sign up. The state wants to cover more than 30,000 people in the first year, but Anthem believes the program will be a success if 10,000 enroll, Roberts said.

"We'd love to have 31,000, but we think it might be a little optimistic," she said. "We feel getting 10,000 enrolled would be an excellent result at the end of the day."

DirigoChoice will be paid for with a combination of employer and employee contributions, $53 million in one-time state money and federal money that helps pay for Medicaid eligible participants.

Other aspects of Dirigo Health include working groups that are trying to address the cost and quality of health care in Maine.

A report will be released next month that compares health costs in three regions of the state, and work with hospitals to contain costs is ongoing, Riley said.

Susan M. Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com

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