The executive director of the online health plan marketplace has announced her resignation.
Just as the Hawaii Health Connector exchange was getting off the ground, the insurance industry in the state has received word that it will be experiencing yet another considerable change, when the head of the program announced that she would resigning.
The exchange has experienced massive delays, as has been the case with many of the marketplaces in the U.S.
Coral Andrews, the director who was at the head of the Hawaii Health Connector for the last two years, throughout the creation of this large portion of the insurance industry in the st
ate, will be stepping down from her position as of December 6. The interim director of the exchange has already been announced to be Tom Matsuda, who is currently the implementation manager of the Affordable Care Act in the governor’s office.
This latest change to the insurance industry’s leadership in the state may have had to do with considerable problems with the exchange.
In the announcement of the resignation of Andrews, some of the problems and struggles related to the exchange were mentioned, but she did not specifically state why she would no longer be holding this considerable position within the insurance industry of Hawaii.
She said that “This has been one of the most challenging but fulfilling roles that I’ve had in all my years in health care,” and then added that the Hawaii Health Connector exchange program in the state’s insurance industry has “been my baby”. She pointed out that this program has required her continual attention and care and that it is still continuing to evolve. That said, she also added that the online marketplace “has reached a point where I now need to let go and let someone else take charge.”
This element of the Hawaii insurance industry has, in many ways, experienced several of the same problems that the federal website – and other state exchanges – have experienced across the United States. Software problems stopped the site from functioning until October 15, despite the fact that it was supposed to open its doors to consumers on October 1.
