Health Insurance Archives

MHP Salud’s Navigator Program Director Talks Health Insurance, Open Enrollment, and Application Assistance in the Rio Grande Valley

From November 1st – December 15th MHP Salud Navigators help hundreds of individuals apply for health coverage across 15 different counties in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Outside of special enrollment periods that require individuals to meet certain qualifications, Open Enrollment, is the only time those who qualify can apply or make changes to existing coverage. Additionally, there is a great need for insurance enrollment assistance in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas due to social and environmental factors unique to the region that create challenges for individuals navigating the complex insurance process.

November 19th, 2020|

Navigator Programs Provide Much Needed Application Assistance to Underinsured Communities

MHP Salud has had a Navigator program for over six years. The program uses Community Health Workers (CHWs), trained as Navigators, to provide education and application assistance to the predominantly Spanish-speaking communities along Texas’ southern border. Today, the program is only one of two Navigator programs left in Texas, which has the highest rates of uninsured individuals of any state (17.7%)4.

November 15th, 2019|

Indiana Health Coverage Program and Medicaid Reimbursement for CHWs

An exciting new insurance reimbursement opportunity in Indiana has recently been announced; this new development will create new funding opportunities for CHW programs in the state. The Indiana Health Coverage Program (IHCP), which includes all programs covered under Indiana Medicaid, added coverage for CHWs on July 1st, 2018.

October 3rd, 2018|

Our Program, Navigator, Makes a Big Impact in the Rio Grande Valley

Of all the areas that MHP Salud operates in, our agency recognized that there was the greatest need for insurance enrollment assistance in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Not only are there many uninsured individuals in the area, but environmental challenges unique to the region create additional challenges for people navigating the often complex insurance process to connect to care.

September 27th, 2018|

Community Health Workers in Michigan, A Historic Look at the Rise of the Profession

The first Community Health Workers in Michigan were trained in the 1960s to provide services to their communities. Around this time, the federal government began providing funding for community-based programs that used CHWs to reach underserved communities. Community Health Workers in Michigan and across the country began having an impact on the national level when in 1978, CHWs formed the New Professionals Special Primary Interest Group in the American Public Health Association (APHA).

August 21st, 2018|

Inside Texas’ Border Communities: What are Colonias?

Many of MHP Salud’s direct service programs operate inside the Rio Grande Valley’s colonias, which are defined by The Texas Office of the Secretary of State as residential areas along the Texas-Mexico border that may lack basic living necessities like potable water, septic or sewer systems, electricity, paved roads, or safe and sanitary housing.

March 15th, 2018|

These Community Health Worker Program Models Lower Patient Medical Costs

An analysis by the Connecticut Health Foundation has found that Connecticut healthcare organizations can improve patient health and save money by implementing community health worker programs.

July 31st, 2017|

5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Health Coverage

In the United States, an estimated 12.7 million people signed up for coverage in the 2016 Open Enrollment, allowing them to gain or renew access to the health coverage they need. Enrolling in a health plan, however, is only the initial step. To help you go from coverage to care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has created resources in multiple languages, available at no cost, to help you understand your benefits and connect to a primary care provider and preventive services. Here are five ways to make the most of your health coverage.

May 11th, 2017|

CMS awards MHP Salud Navigator Funding for Third Time

MHP Salud, a national nonprofit organization with an office in Weslaco, Texas, has received $707,066 for the first year of a new three-year cycle of grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to fund Navigator services in Texas’ Cameron, Willacy, Starr and Hidalgo Counties. The funds will continue to enable bilingual Community Health Workers (CHWs) to serve as Navigators, helping consumers understand their health insurance options and enroll in the plan they select. The assistance services take place in-person at the MHP Salud office, over the phone, and at health fairs and enrollment events.

September 4th, 2015|

Learn How to Train and Support Certified Application Counselors with our New Toolkit

This toolkit is intended to help Certified Application Counselor supervisors support their CACs through the initial training and beyond. It is divided into three sections: “Reinforcing CMS Training,” “Supplemental Skills,” and “On-going Training” that explain and present strategies, tools, and activities that can be used to further reinforce the material presented in the CMS training, to supplement the material from the trainings, and to continue to support CACs after the conclusion of the training period.

July 24th, 2015|