Since announcing their alliance with CoOportunity Health inJune, the Iowa and Nebraska Credit Union Leagues have been trainingand educating credit unions about what the Patient Protection andAffordable Care Act means for members.

Between the two states, 45 credit unions have signed on withCoOportunity Health, a Des Moines, Iowa-based cooperative thatoffers insurance options through broker Group Benefits Ltd., inUrbandale, Iowa, according to Murray Williams, chief operatingofficer at the Iowa Credit Union League and chief administrativeofficer with Affiliates Management Co.

“Every credit union has identified a point person to lead thisinitiative. The Affordable Care Act was new to them, just likeeveryone else,” Williams said. “So, there's been education on whatthe changes are, what's going on with health insurance and why it'sall important to members.”

On Oct. 1, an estimated 50 million uninsured Americans gainedaccess to Healthcare Insurance Marketplaces operated by the federalgovernment and some states. The sites allow those qualified toapply for health insurance online, view a list of plans anddetermine qualification for a federal tax credit that woulddecrease policy costs. The enrollment period will remain open untilMarch 31, 2014. Coverage will start Jan. 1, 2014.

Those who don't have insurance coverage by Jan. 1 will face atax penalty of $95 for individual adults or 1% of their income,whichever is higher.

For the most part, members have been asking about their options,Williams said. The new health care reform act offers credit unionsthe opportunity to be trusted advisers to help navigate through thechanges, he added.

Those credit unions and leagues that partner with CoOportunityHealth will receive a modest referral fee to help offset theadministrative costs associated with the partnership, Williamssaid. However, he pointed out that the goal of the alliance is notto make money, but rather, to provide differentiated,consumer-friendly product to members at a time of great confusionand need.

Because there were some restrictions on how co-ops could brandand market themselves prior to the debut of the healthcareinsurance marketplace, Williams said only time will tell how manymembers sign on through CoOportunity Health.

“Health insurance has typically not been an area credit unionshave focused on,” Williams said. “However, now, more than ever,physical and financial well-being goes hand in hand. It's becominga much larger portion of a family's expenses.”

Like many in the industry, offering insurance products is not anew venture for the $325 million Greater Iowa Credit Union in Ames,Iowa, said Michael Adams, vice president of marketing. However,because of the new health care law, the cooperative saw this entryas an opportunity to build on its goal of being a one-stop shop forit members and to provide education along the way.

“There's an incredible hunger out there for information. TheAffordable Care Act is a very complicated piece of business,” saidAdams, who was tapped the point person to lead the effort at hiscredit union. Adams said he attended several training sessions withCoOportunity Health that taught participants, among other things,how to identify members who might be interested in signing on theexchange.

Greater Iowa CU recently updated its website with CoOportunityHealth promotions and an article in its fourth quarter membernewsletter, Adams said.

“I tell staff members to try and keep it simple. They don't haveto go into lengthy discussions about PPA,” Adams explained.

In Nebraska, 17 credit unions signed up during the initialstage, said Scott Sullivan, CEO of the Nebraska Credit UnionLeague.

“The feedback regarding our partnership had been extremelypositive from credit unions,” Sullivan said. “They appreciate theopportunity to work with a 'best in class' health care organizationto help their members address their health care questions andneeds.”

The Nebraska league's partnership with CoOportunity Health willbetter enable credit unions and their members to navigate the newlaw, Sullivan noted.

Next Page: Leagues Link Up

Over the summer, the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association linked up with Digital Benefit Advisors, the largest division of theAtlanta-based Digital Insurance, for the state's credit unions tohave access to a broader variety of carriers and resources. ThePCUA had a health insurance program in place for more than 20 yearsbefore transitioning over to its new partner, said Corinne Sherman,PCUA senior vice president of fee services.

“The biggest thing for us has been a high level of education tothe masses but primarily, what healthcare reform has done is todevelop individual strategies more than ever before,” Shermansaid.

That means rather than the PCUA taking a one-size-fits-allapproach, through webinars and one-on-one meetings, the associationis offering customized attention so that credit unions can ensurethey are making the right plan choices, said Michael Wishnow, PCUAsenior vice president of communications and marketing.

About 200 Pennsylvania credit unions are signed on with DigitalBenefit Advisors, Sherman said. The company provides an onlineportal through which credit unions can navigate to find the rightplan.

Earlier this year, data system and technology solutions providerEPL Inc., in Birmingham, Ala., launched the Credit Union Exchange Blueprint, a private exchange for creditunions and members that provides online access to carriers and aresource for new requirements.

While the company sent out reminder notices and summary plans aweek before the Oct. 1 national enrollment date, EPL has beenworking for quite some time to get the word out, said Cathy Hulsey,vice president of human resources.

And, EPL did some number crunching of its own to see howemployees would fare buying from the health insurance marketplacecompared to having its own insurance plan, Hulsey said.

“We are in that sweet spot of 50 to 150 employees so we have todo the analysis of determining what's best for the employees andcompany,” Hulsey said. “Open enrollment is going well and we shouldknow next month once we get our carrier information and costs whichway to proceed.”

Cliff Gold, chief operating officer at CoOportunity Health, saidbesides credit unions being viewed as trusted advisers when itcomes to helping their members, there is another familiaropportunity for them to build on.

“I think that people who are underinsured are most likelyunderbanked,” Gold said. “This partnership gives credit unions anavenue to not only provide insurance but (the underbanked) can haveaccess to loans and other credit union products.”