Community Health Councils (CHC), along with our partners at the California Pan Ethnic Health Network (CPHEN) and Maternal and Child Health Access (MCHA) have submitted a budget request for $30 million per year, for two years, from the State General Fund, to be matched with federal dollars totaling $60 million to sustain these services.
As we increase access to health coverage, work to mitigate fears and barriers faced by immigrant communities, and further streamline our healthcare system, we are in need of community based healthcare enrollers who serve as gatekeepers between our communities and the healthcare system, and improve health outcomes.
Healthcare enrollers go above and beyond, and their work is not limited to enrollment: they ensure that coverage is being utilized and work tirelessly to troubleshoot issues that are often missed by the system. They are culturally competent and have formed strong relationships with their communities, building on years of trust, often connecting their clients to numerous resources available to them in addition to healthcare services.
CHC and our many partners across the state have a longstanding history of working in the field of healthcare coverage outreach, enrollment, utilization and retention services. Healthcare enrollers have been committed to diligently conduct:
- Outreach: Identifying individuals and disseminating relevant information for healthcare coverage options, the application process, and the importance of having health insurance;
- Enrollment: Assisting individuals in applications for health coverage by assessing eligibility, reviewing and gathering required documentation;
- Utilization Assistance: Conducting timely follow-up activities to ensure that individuals are utilizing their health coverage; and,
- Retention Services: Ensuring that all individuals’ coverage is properly renewed annually.
As navigators of a complex healthcare system, enrollers are an asset to our health system and therefore, we need to prioritize funding mechanisms to support this valuable work in sustaining the health and wellbeing of California. Statewide funding ended in June 2018 and federal funding has been dwindling the last few years. We are urging legislators and the Governor to sustain funding for outreach and enrollment workers to continue their valuable work in maintaining a robust healthcare system.
See this letter regarding the Budget Ask