NDNRC VIDEOS HIGHLIGHT BENEFITS OF MEDICAID
Please note that for the summer the NDNRC Update is being released on a biweekly basis.
Earlier this year, we shared a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation which estimated that approximately 8.8 million people remain uninsured but would be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP if they would apply. (To see our news item on that report, click here.) This week, the NDNRC has released three new videos which highlight the benefits that Medicaid has had for real people. These videos are part of an effort to increase outreach for Medicaid enrollment. To view the stories from three families who have benefited from Medicaid coverage, check out the videos from Cyndi, Sally and Carol. All of these videos are also available on our YouTube channel which can be found here.
Do you have questions about how eligibility and enrollment are coordinated between Medicaid, CHIP and the marketplace? Last week, CMS issued new guidance on the coordination of all three of these programs. To learn more or to download a copy, read our news item on the new guidance by clicking here.
Be sure to check out the last week’s blog post from Enroll America which highlights the need for consumer assistance programs based on consumer surveys. To read the blog post, click here.
If you want to read more about the importance that in person assisters play in the enrollment process, be sure to check out the issue brief by the Commonwealth Fund entitled “Factors Affecting Health Insurance Enrollment Through the State Marketplaces: Observations on the ACA’s Third Open Enrollment Period.” This issue brief also examines what makes a more effective outreach strategy. To read the issue brief, click here.
Last month, the Alliance for Health Reform hosted a briefing which previewed Open Enrollment Four (OE4) specifically looking at who had obtained coverage under prior open enrollments and who still remained uninsured and why they were uninsured. The briefing featured speakers from The Commonwealth Fund, the American Academy of Actuaries, the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. To view the materials from the briefing and to watch the video of the briefing, click here.
If you want to learn more about high risk pools, the Kaiser Family Foundation has released a new issue brief which looks at the history of high risk pools both prior to the ACA and after its passage. To read more about the issue brief or to download a copy, check out our news item by clicking here.
Another recent issue brief by the Kaiser Family Foundation analyzes the effect of 2017 premiums and insurer’s participation rate in the marketplace. To download a copy of this issue brief, click here.
Our colleagues at the University of Washington, Healthy Aging Rehabilitation Research Training Center (RRTC) have written a series of Factsheets and Plain Language Research summaries and they have just released the newest fact sheet entitled “People Living with Multiple Sclerosis are Worried About Healthcare Costs.” The fact sheet is available here. If you want to learn more about Multiple Sclerosis and how to assist consumers with the condition, you can also check out our population-specific fact sheet entitled “What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Multiple Sclerosis” by clicking here.
To be healthy, individuals need opportunities to participate in meaningful daily activities that add to their growth, development, fulfillment, and community contribution. Individuals with disabilities face challenges to achieving full social inclusion and participation. Health-related quality of life and well-being includes domains related to both physical and mental functioning, as well as positive emotions and life satisfaction. Healthy People 2020 will be hosting a webinar next Thursday, August 11, 2016 at 12:30 PM ET which will highlight how public health efforts are improving inclusion, participation, and health-related quality of life and well-being for Americans with and without disabilities. To register for this webinar click here.
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Eligibility Determinations and Enrollment Report from April 2016. To read the report from CMS, click here. This report can also be found on our Resources & Links page under “Enrollment Statistics.”
Are you looking for local partners to help with outreach to the disability community? The NDNRC is funding eighteen Community Outreach Collaboratives (COCs) for the third year of our project. This includes the eleven that were funded last year, plus seven new locations in six new states. The COCs increase collaborations in the community, dissemination and outreach efforts and enrollment of people with disabilities in the ACA. To find a COC, click here.
To access the archives for our weekly updates click here.