It's tax season, and while filing, many people may be realizing that they never got around to signing up for health insurance. And that can come with a price tag. This year is the first year people can be penalized for not being insured under the Affordable Care Act, but this year's fee is small in comparison to next year's fine.
Last year’s Open Enrollment Period, the first opportunity for many U.S. Americans to enroll for health insurance in the new Marketplace, was a learning experience for everyone involved. This time, MHP Salud’s Navigator knew from the start what it would take to offer consumers a path to health insurance.
The Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance's Annual Meeting required overflow seating in Lansing Community College's conference room yesterday. Bustling with Community Health Workers, their supervisors, health plan representatives, hospital administrators, academics and other stakeholders, the event marked the fourth annual meeting that serves as the gathering point of the state's conversation about CHWs, their profession and how they fit into the health and human service delivery system. As a sponsor, MHP Salud's Program Director Anne Lee and Community Manager Elaine Ezekiel presented a booth with a poster entitled "Community Health Workers as Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators" that examines one possible way CHWs can fit into the changing health environment-- as Navigators who can help the uninsured enroll for benefits in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way.
This week MHP Salud received notification of refunding for the Navigator program for a second year from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. The program employs Community Health Workers (CHWs) as bilingual educators and assistants for Latinos seeking health insurance through the new Marketplace in south Texas.
MHP Salud is participating in a project to expand proactive, chronic care management to residents of Texas’ Rio Grande Valley who are either uninsured or covered by Medicaid. The project involves close collaboration among a team of community partners representing the clinical, academic, and nonprofit sectors. MHP’s role is to hire and manage Promotores(as) to provide participants with health education, navigation, and other related services.
