BOSTON – Monday, July 22, 2013 – The Massachusetts Health Connector today announced 10 organizations across the Commonwealth will receive grants in the first year of the Massachusetts Navigator program, a critical part of the Health Connector’s outreach and education campaign in advance of the launch of federal health care reform.
The Navigator program will help consumers understand new coverage options available as a result of the Affordable Care Act and find the most affordable coverage that meets their needs. Navigators will assist consumers – individuals, families and small businesses – from application through enrollment into new health insurance plans using culturally- and linguistically-appropriate methods.
“Reaching people where they live and using language that they understand is essential for maintaining the coverage gains achieved to date in Massachusetts” said Jean Yang, Executive Director of the Health Connector. “Through these partnerships, we are maximizing one component of our broad-based effort to educate consumers about the launch of federal health care reform.”
Navigator programs will operate in all states, even those with federally-facilitated marketplaces. In Massachusetts, the program will focus not only on the remaining uninsured, but also on those members who are transitioning to new subsidized and non-subsidized health insurance plans available for coverage beginning on Jan. 1, 2014.
Through proactive outreach – via community events, on-site enrollment assistance, with multi-lingual tools and ethnic media – the 10 selected organizations will assist Massachusetts residents in getting health insurance coverage through the Health Connector. The Health Connector’s broader outreach and education efforts include direct mailings and emails to inform existing Health Connector members about upcoming changes; an outbound calling initiative to help current members re-apply; engagement with enrollment assisters such as staff from hospitals and health centers and brokers; launching statewide employer road shows to educate the employer community about the ACA; developing multi-lingual educational materials; and kicking off a comprehensive public outreach and education multi-media campaign.
The Health Connector awards the following grants for the period of Aug. 1, 2013, through July 31, 2014:
| Boston Public Health Commission | $304,690 |
| Caring Health Center | $196,305 |
| Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands, Inc. | $69,250 |
| Ecu-Health Care | $40,000 |
| Greater Lawrence Community Action Council | $121,000 |
| Hilltown Community Health Care Centers | $48,150 |
| Joint Committee for Children’s Health Care in Everett | $60,000 |
| Manet Community Health Center | $59,158 |
| MAPS – Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers | $158,000 |
| PACE – People Acting in Community Endeavors | $82,307 |
About the Massachusetts Health Connector
Established in 2006, the Massachusetts Health Connector helps Massachusetts residents find affordable, quality health insurance. More than 400,000 Massachusetts residents have gained health coverage since the Commonwealth’s historic enactment of health care reform, and nearly 240,000 obtain health insurance through the Health Connector. Massachusetts leads the nation in the percentage of residents with health insurance, with more than 98 percent of people covered.
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