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Takeaways from the first year of ACA enrollment

Supplied photo/St Joseph's Neighborhood Center

As the November 15th enrollment period  draws closer, health administrators and policy watchers have been assessing data from the first troubled period of Obamacare.

WXXI/Innovation reporter Michelle Faust spoke first with the Executive Director of New York state's official health plan marketplace.

Donna Frescatore, Executive Director of the New York Health Benefit Exchange, says New York is making the necessary investment.

She reports the state’s website has new features and the state is training enrollers to explain the trickier parts of it, like those for the self-employed.

"Because those application has some sort of unique challenges, working with immigrant populations in New York to be certain that their applications go smoothly, as well as other topics," says Frescatore.

Last year, just under a million New Yorkers enrolled in health insurance through the state exchange. This year’s outreach will include advertising, community events, and coordination with local human service organizers.

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Dave Chandra is a Senior Policy Analyst for the think-tank, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Dave Chandra is a Senior Policy Analyst for the think-tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

He says translating information about complex issues, such as health insurance, must be approached holistically.

"It's very important to do the whole process from start to finish translating the whole experience [when you're doing a translation]. So, that requires people who are very sophisticated in doing that," explains Chandra.

New York’s Spanish Language health exchange website launches November 15 at the beginning of open enrollment.

Michelle Faust, MA, is a reporter/ producer whose work focuses strongly on issues related to health and health policy. She joined the WXXI newsroom in February 2014, and in short time became the lead producer on the Understanding the Affordable Care Act series. Michelle is a reporter with the health collaborative Side Effects and regularly contributes to The Innovation Trail. Working across media, she also produces packages for WXXI-TV’s weekly news magazine Need to Know.