Grant Partners

Lowell Community Health Center will institute a “triage” system to improve efficiencies in how patients are provided with enrollment assistance; extend enrollment hours at the health center; provide educational workshops for clinic and agency staff; develop a reminder checklist on the importance of reviewing correspondence from state offices and completing the re-determination form to avoid gaps in coverage; establish a tracking system that enables staff to reach clients with timeline reminders about renewal dates and post-enrollment issues; develop a comprehensive, multilingual patient education flyer with key insurance information; participate in local community health events to promote insurance counseling and enrollment; create a multilingual brochure listing available health insurance options; and offer quarterly onsite educational sessions for providers, front-line staff, and community agencies on health insurance topics.

Boston Public Health Commission will maintain referral systems with community partners; host enrollment sessions throughout the city with a focus on the East Boston and Dorchester communities; leverage social media and local cable access; scale up flyering in census tracts with the highest rates of uninsured, with an emphasis on local businesses and community organization; and develop a multilingual plain language form that outlines when and how a consumer needs to update the state with pertinent information to maintain coverage.                                                                                          

Edward M. Kennedy will expand assistance on weekend hours; assist in educating about 13,500 MassHealth patients who will be impacted by changes related to the 1115 waiver and transition to the Accountable Care Organization model; verify the insurance status of current patients days in advance of upcoming appointments; work with insurers to identify members who are up for renewal and provide assistance; formalize an outreach and enrollment network to identify at-risk individuals and refer them to the Outreach/Enrollment team; and partner with community centers and places of worship. 

Ecu-Health Care will conduct outreach in partnership with local community organizations and institutions; provide direct-to-consumer outreach via phone or mailings to Berkshire Medical Center uninsured patients as identified through an automated referral system; partner with other area health and human service organizations to establish an online referral system; review with clients the contents of a member packet including information on what changes to an account need to be reported, staying healthy with your new insurance, eligibility and benefits, how to make a payment, and advanced premium tax credits; and expand digital media, billboards, public broadcast, and radio advertising.

The Joint Committee for Children’s Health Care in Everett will promote messages about health insurance enrollment via its Facebook page, newsletters, and the City of Everett’s website; place multilingual media ads and coordinate appearances and PSAs for radio stations and cable TV programs; coordinate large-scale enrollment events in partnership with community organizations; offer weekly night drop-in sessions for clients to bring questions or copies of letters to receive group level assistance with enrollment questions; create a renewal flyer to explain the process to applicants; work with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance agency to assist clients who must reconcile their tax credits; and maintain and develop referral systems with provider organizations.

Caring Health Center will implement an extensive media and grassroots community outreach campaign to promote enrollment via multilingual television, radio, newspaper, print, social media, and website advertisements; deliver outreach at numerous community events and venues; support MassHealth members impacted by the Accountable Care Organization transition, increasing knowledge and awareness of new coverage options; develop and facilitate multilingual discussion groups to understand health system challenges; and develop facilitators’ guides, educational handouts, and a survey instrument to assess consumers’ understanding of public health insurance availability, policies, and literacy.

Hilltown Community Health Centers will partner with local community organizations; advertise and author articles in local newspapers and on social media; open a new site in Amherst; work with Managed Care Organizations, MassHealth, and the Connector to proactively identify consumers who need to renew their coverage, and provide assistance; work with employers, small businesses, business associations, home care agencies, and other organizations to reach part-time, seasonally, and self-employed people at risk for churn; and develop an advertising and social media campaign informing the public about the important of renewing coverage and open enrollment.

Brockton Neighborhood Health Center will partner with community organizations; help patients update account information, make payments and understand communications from the MassHealth and the Connector; reach out to patients via phone or mail to ensure they understand changes and take steps to maintain coverage; and work closely with patients through individual education and coaching to address post-enrollment issues like selecting a health plan, choosing a primary care provider, and making payments online.

Greater New Bedford Community Health Center will educate patients on practices that will help them obtain and maintain coverage, including an overview of the enrollment process, action steps needed, and key deadlines; set-up a secure drop-box for patients to deposit documentation to expedite the collection and application processes; develop reminder cards that highlight important dates, deadlines, and outstanding documentation; proactively review copies of patients’ notification letters from MassHealth and the Connector to provide targeted assistance for those denied for coverage; and target outreach at self-pay patients, which the health center is seeing at increased rates, to discuss coverage options and assist in the enrollment process.

Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC) will plan outreach and enrollment activities at community locations. It will use an extensive follow-up system to address churn, ensuring that individuals have obtained the benefit they applied for and that all documents have been submitted.  It will conduct financial education and coaching to help ensure individuals can maintain their payments and minimize the risk of churn, and conduct educational coaching on health insurance literacy.

Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) will partner with community organizations to receive referrals for individuals needing enrollment assistance. They will provide one-on-one sessions and events about minimizing the risk of losing coverage, review all eligibility determination letters, utilize its EMR to record pending expiration dates, and use automated call center software to reach uninsured patients in multiple languages. The organization will conduct quarterly “health insurance 101” trainings, provide regular patient orientation sessions, and make health insurance literacy information and resources available through patient computer kiosks.

Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands (CACCI) will conduct outreach activities and assist individuals with applications or redeterminations.  They will use informational flyers and educational presentations to health and human service providers, businesses that cater to immigrants, and career centers.  They will notify those on subsidized insurance of impending deadlines, importance of responding to reviews, and develop an internal system to notify known households of necessary action steps. Finally, it will provide a comprehensive overview of health plan selection process based on health care needs and budgets, and use of a plan once enrolled.

Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire, and North Quabbin Regions will conduct outreach through four community coalitions, food pantries, and career centers.  They will screen all callers for health insurance needs and send reminders about member responsibilities to submit documentation and update information.  At enrollment meetings, Community Action will provide materials to help members stay organized and follow-up to see if they have a PCP, can access their Connector account, and have responded to any mailings. 

People Acting in Community Endeavors (PACE) will facilitate enrollment and redetermination assistance for many “hard to reach” target populations through partnerships with schools, career centers, and ESOL classes. They will also develop materials to help individuals interpret notices and remind them of pending actions, as well as conduct individualized enrollment and group health insurance literacy sessions.

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center will target uninsured patients prior to their next scheduled appointment and provide enrollment assistance.  To address churn, it will utilize its electronic medical record to identify individuals whose coverage is about to lapse, and refer them to follow-up assistance. It will develop a health insurance education module that includes low-literacy multilingual materials and a workshop curriculum that helps patients navigate the system.  Ten health insurance literacy information sessions will be held each year.