WASHINGTON — It’s hard to shop for health insurance.
It’s harder still when there’s few options to help. Some Americans who can’t rely on a federal program or their employers’ HR department turn to brokers who are trained to help them navigate the complex web of deductibles, formularies, and subsidies. But in 2021 in Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven, Connecticut — as in many poorer areas in the U.S. — there were no licensed brokers, period.
So James Michel, who oversees the state’s Obamacare insurance offerings, came up with a plan: have people there help each other, formally. The state launched a “Broker Academy” in June, training mostly candidates of color in the jargon and the specifics of how to sign people up for health insurance. His staff volunteered their time on weekends to recruit people, the tech department repurposed laptops sitting idly on shelves, and the organization applied for community grants to fund the program.
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