Connecticut was awarded a key $107 million grant from the federal government to build its fledgling health insurance exchange, authorities say.
The federal Health and Human Services Department announced the grant Thursday.
The money will be used to set up the state’s health insurance exchange, which will serve as an online marketplace for individuals and small businesses to purchase health insurance.
The federal health care reform law mandates that each state have an exchange up and running by 2014.
This is the second grant to the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange. Led by recently named CEO Kevin Counihan, the agency can use the funds to hire staff and consultants and develop an IT system that facilitates critical exchange functions, officials said.
That includes eligibility, enrollment, and information exchange among individuals, employers, insurance carriers, and state and federal government agencies.