RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MAXIMUS (NYSE: MMS), a leading provider of government services worldwide, today announced that it has been awarded a $41 million contract by the State of Minnesota to design and develop the technical solution, including a consumer-friendly website, for Minnesota’s statewide health insurance exchange and Medicaid modernization. Following a competitive bid process, MAXIMUS was selected as the prime contractor to design and develop the Minnesota health insurance exchange, and to deliver major technology improvements to Minnesota’s Medicaid systems to provide streamlined eligibility determinations, enhance customer service, allow for timely eligibility changes, and promote ongoing program integrity.
As the prime contractor, MAXIMUS will lead a team of specialized technology firms in designing and developing the Minnesota health insurance exchange, which will establish a consumer-friendly website for the state’s population, enabling Minnesotans to determine their eligibility for subsidized health insurance benefits online, as well as shop, compare and enroll in health insurance plans, with access to dedicated customer support along the way. MAXIMUS will have responsibility for managing the project, serving as the client liaison, documenting all business requirements, overseeing integration testing, developing an array of reports for the exchange, and delivering an exceptional customer service experience for users of the system.
The Minnesota health insurance exchange development will include the deployment of StateAdvantage, a complete health insurance exchange solution developed through an alliance between Connecture, Inc. and MAXIMUS. Other MAXIMUS subcontractors include IBM, utilizing the IBM Curam solution for healthcare reform, and EngagePoint (formerly known as Consumer Health Technologies).
“This contract is a significant milestone in the design and development of a Minnesota health insurance exchange,” said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. “We can now move forward on developing the technology backbone of the exchange, a user-friendly tool that will help more than 1.2 million Minnesotans choose the quality coverage they need at a price they can afford.”
“We are excited to be part of the State of Minnesota’s initiative to deliver one of the first health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act,” commented Bruce Caswell, President and General Manager of Health Services at MAXIMUS. “We will leverage our decades of experience in helping connect citizens with public health insurance benefits to ensure that the Minnesota health insurance exchange is customer-focused, efficient and cost effective.”
“The awarding of this contract represents a significant opportunity for MAXIMUS as we begin to gain traction and establish our leadership role in this emerging market,” noted Richard A. Montoni, Chief Executive Officer of MAXIMUS. “While our initial focus has been to provide Business Process Services in support of technology solutions for health insurance exchanges, we are pleased to have been selected by the State of Minnesota to oversee the design and development of its exchange. This award speaks to our capabilities to translate policy into effective solutions for our clients, and further positions MAXIMUS to capitalize on new growth prospects and establish a base for the Company’s continued long-term growth.”
The contract is expected to begin in July 2012 and will run through March 2014.
About MAXIMUS
MAXIMUS is a leading health and human services administrator for governments in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The Company delivers administrative solutions to improve the cost effectiveness, efficiency and quality of government-sponsored benefit programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Health Insurance BC (British Columbia), as well as welfare-to-work and child support enforcement programs across the globe. The Company's primary customer base includes federal, provincial, state, county and municipal governments. Operating under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, MAXIMUS has more than 8,800 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.maximus.com.
About Connecture, Inc.
Connecture is the leading provider of Web-based technologies used to create health insurance marketplaces and exchanges. Its industry-proven solutions effectively assist consumers and employees with the health insurance shopping and purchasing process and minimize back-office administrative tasks, such as workflow and health plan management, application processing, renewal processing and integration with health plans, state and federal programs. More than 25 million Americans purchase their health insurance through systems built by Connecture and more than half of the nation’s 20 largest carriers rely on Connecture’s technologies and services to sell, administer and manage their plans and products effectively. For more information visit the Connecture website at www.connecture.com.