Ted Henson, NACHC’s Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Outreach and Enrollment Project, is today’s Guest Blogger on Health Center News and Happenings:
The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that $60 million in Navigator grants were awarded to 90 organizations in states with a Federally-facilitated or State Partnership Marketplace.
Community health centers and primary care associations were among the recipients of the Navigator awards, further solidifying the vital role that health centers play in enrolling the uninsured into health insurance coverage. Here is a list of health center-related organizations that received awards:
- Alaska Primary Care Association
- Arizona Association of Community Health Centers
- Bi-State Primary Care Association (New Hampshire)
- Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved
- Madison County Community Health Centers, Inc. (Indiana)
- Oklahoma Community Health Centers, Inc.
- Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers
- Westside Family Healthcare, Inc. (Delaware)
In most cases, the primary care associations and health centers will work with either other Navigator grantees or partner organizations to provide Navigator and enrollment services throughout the state. Navigators provide in-person assistance with enrollment for consumers shopping for and enrolling in plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The funding will help many health centers expand and strengthen the capacity of current outreach and education programs.
Madison County Community Health Centers in Indiana plans to provide outreach and education to consumers on a walk-in basis by utilizing a facility located in a heavy traffic location. In 2013, the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (KAMU) – the primary care association in the state – served as the lead agency and Navigator grantee for the Kansas Marketplace Consortium. Through the Navigator grant awards, KAMU plans to help the Consortium – which is a coalition of 427 locations that provide health and social services to the underserved – to recruit volunteers throughout the state to complete the Navigator training and provide enrollment assistance.
Read the HHS Press Release: HHS announces $60 million to help consumers navigate their health care coverage options in the Health Insurance Marketplace