Welcome to the NDNRC

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is pleased to be able to bring you the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC) through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The mission of the NDNRC is to provide cross-disability information and support to Navigators and other enrollment specialists thereby ensuring people with disabilities receive accurate information when selecting and enrolling in insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. The Collaborative is comprised of seven national disability organizations which represent unique cross-disability experiences. Along with AAHD, the other six partner organizations are the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF); the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS); The Arc and United Spinal Association.

It is estimated that when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, there were 3.5 million people who had pre-existing medical conditions and/or disabilities but who did not have insurance. This initiative is a result of the desire of the seven partner organizations along with others in the disability community who want to see these uninsured individuals receive accurate and disability appropriate information when selecting and enrolling in a health insurance plan through options under the ACA including enrollment in Medicaid or purchasing coverage through the newly established marketplaces. The NDNRC will accomplish this by providing navigators and other enrollment specialists with a singular location to find information and resources as they assist people with disabilities and reviewing all their options for coverage.

In the coming weeks, we will be providing resources designed to help navigators and others who will be assisting people with disabilities as they enroll for coverage. In the very near future, we will be posting a technical assistance guide which will inform navigators and other enrollment specialists about special considerations people with disabilities may face along with providing cross disability awareness, etiquette, accessibility and inclusion. In early 2014, we will be posting 17 fact sheets which will address a variety of issues of special interest when counseling a person with a disability. As the NDNRC receives information from various states, these fact sheets will also be updated to include state specific information.

In addition to the technical assistance guide and the 17 fact sheets, the NDNRC will also be providing ongoing technical assistance through webinars, issue briefs and a listserv. We hope that you find this website to be useful in providing the crucial information needed to properly advise people with disabilities on their options for health insurance coverage. This website is intended to be interactive, so please feel free to contact Karl Cooper, the Project Associate with any questions or suggestions for future topics for these posts. His e-mail address is kcooper@aahd.us.