Story Category: Healthnet »

Local employee benefits advisor and business owner Jon Frank has been appointed
to cochair a statewide advisory committee addressing the next steps to opening
the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange in January 2014. The benefit exchange
was established last year by the Maryland Legislature to fulfill the state’s require-
ments under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordability Act. Frank’s committee, the Navigator Advisory Committee, will address the logistics and issues surrounding the introduction of specially qualified and trained people identified as Navigators in Federal Health Care Reform legislation. How Navigators will support existing enrollment
efforts for both individuals and small businesses is a key topic for deliberation by
the twenty appointed members comprising the workgroup.

“How people receive information and assistance through this new channel is an important aspect of how the Exchange will work”, Frank noted, adding “I was glad to
see the exchange board recognize that community involvement is the ultimate way
to achieve the balance and cost stability we all seek. The 20 member workgroup is
quite diverse but I’m sure we can build understanding through this process.”

Other Southern Marylanders on the committee include Bill Scarafia, executive director of the St. Mary’s Chamber of Commerce and Jay Duke, a licensed producer with Waring Ahearn Insurance.

Frank is a fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, an active member of the Maryland Health Underwriters Association and vice president of Calvert Healthcare Solutions, a community based organization providing primary care to low income residents, in addition to his business interests. The committee is also co?
chaired by Leigh Cobb of Advocates for Children & Youth and Liddy GarciaBunuel
of Healthy Howard. The committee will be meeting regularly through September.

In addition to the Navigator Committee, the Health Benefit Exchange has appointed three other workgroups addressing how to administer the plans to be offered, how
to manage low income citizens with frequently changing eligibility, and financial sustainability.