SBM Quarterly Newsletter - April 2025

Senate Bill 972 (2023) requires the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to transition the Marketplace from a state-based marketplace using the federal platform (SBM-FP) to a state-based marketplace (SBM) in time for open enrollment for plan year 2027. Specifically, OHA is required to procure and administer an information technology platform or service and call center, separate from the federal platform and call center, to provide electronic access to the health insurance exchange in this state by November 1, 2026. The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace helps people in Oregon access affordable, high-quality health insurance through enrollment in private health insurance and federal subsidies during annual open enrollment and special enrollment periods. A state-based marketplace will give us more flexibility to make open enrollment fit the unique needs and budgets of people across Oregon. Transitioning to a state-based marketplace model will allow us to incorporate more meaningful community input into process and procedure changes.

The Oregon Health Authority is also dedicated to our 2030 goal of eliminating health inequities in Oregon by 2030. Below you will find some ways this change to the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace will better serve communities harmed by inequities in Oregon:

• Establishment of access to data and evidence to tailor outreach and be more intentional about efforts to enroll disproportionately uninsured people, including people of color and rural residents.
• Collection of data, particularly on race and ethnicity, will facilitate our understanding of enrollment disparities.
• Additional and more reliable data will allow Oregon to refine its outreach and communication strategies, both overall and in real time to reach targeted communities.

Immigrants and non-native English speakers may be more likely to enroll if additional translation and interpretation services are available to help them complete the application or to communicate effectively with navigators, agents and brokers, or the call center.

Since the last update in Jan. 2025, the SBM Project completed a variety of deliverables which included:

• Completion of proposal evaluations and release of a Notice of Intent to Award to Vimo, Inc. (dba GetInsured). For any questions regarding this solicitation, please contact Julie Curry, the Department of Administrative Services State Procurement Services Sole Point of Contact, at julie.a.curry@das.oregon.gov.
• Monthly and quarterly reports provided by IQMS vendor.

The Marketplace continues to place an emphasis on the importance of partner engagement, with continued activities through the first quarter of 2025, which included:

• Presentation on Feb. 6 (orhim.info/3YlMZ7N) to the Senate Health Care Committee on the status of the project.
• Presentation on April 15 (orhim.info/3RJOyZy) to the Senate Health Care Committee on the status of the project, Policy Option Package 424, and looking forward to the implementation timeline.
• Insurance agent, applications assister, and insurance carrier listening sessions in Jan. 2025. A report of results (info/3QXSzJK) is available on the SBM Project website.
• Monthly updates given at partner collaborative meetings and through newsletters sent to insurance agents and application assisters.
• Quarterly SBM Project newsletter continued distribution in 2025 (orhim.info/4jbkKRl). The Marketplace encourages all interested individuals to register for the newsletter at orhim.info/sbmupdates.

• Visit orhim.info/SBMtransition
• Email marketplace.sbmproject@odhsoha.oregon.gov