Health Reform Outreach & Enrollment Washington State Coalition for Language Access Penny Lara Project Manager, Access & Outreach October 25 th, 2014

King County Context State-based exchange Expanded Medicaid 2 Washington State King County 2 million people; 39 cities and unincorporated areas. Public Health-Seattle & King County 10th largest health department

Our strategy: Working with partners to reduce barriers that prevent the underserved from enrolling King County selected as a Lead Organization Network of 23 organizations with 34 languages Identify the uninsured and the barriers they face By population group By geographic area Develop tailored strategies for reaching the uninsured Bring information and the enrollment process to the individuals, and share it in a setting that is familiar to them and in a language that they understand 3

The numbers Although King County had an overall uninsured rate of 16% (lower than the national average of 21%)--when you dig deeper into the numbers the picture was different:

Outreach Strategies: Leverage ESJ Commitments 75,000 recipients!

Text message program in Spanish: To receive updates, residents simply text SALUD and their ZIP code to

Key to success Community need Strong partnerships Linguistically and culturally appropriate messages to promote the event

Key to success: First Friday Forum Established in the late 90’s to bring together public health, government, clinics, organizations and other stakeholders to identify issues and create solutions in the best interest of low-income clients and patients from underserved communities. o Providing basic information & education o Sharing updates o Problem solving o Networking Gave IPA network a running start

Second Friday Forum Purpose of this workgroup is to work through issues raised at First Friday Forum and assist in troubleshooting problems, and providing feedback. Originally convened by DSHS with the organizers of the First Friday Forum at that time (PHSKC, CHAP and HealthPoint) in order to identify solutions to training and system difficulties being encountered by community representatives who were assisting community members to apply for Medicaid programs.

What We’ve Learned Engage local leaders Collaboration is essential Utilize existing networks Don’t overlook smaller organizations Develop new partnerships Think outside the box United Way tax prep sites Libraries Labor Unions Listen to partners—they know their communities best Convene a regular forum for addressing technical issues and sharing solutions Don’t be afraid to tweak your strategies 11

In-Person Assister Network enrollments The Exchange set our enrollment targets at 19,890. Here are the enrollment numbers through 08/31/2014: HPF Enrollment Data October 1, 2013-July 31, 2014 Apple Health Renewals Apple Health New Qualifie d Health PlansTotal Public Health Seattle King County27,50165,77011,413104,684

How did we do in King County?

Challenges Ongoing website challenges State call center not meeting demand Medicaid renewals Medicaid enrollment far exceeding QHP enrollment

What are we doing to fix that CHAP line (Community Health Access Program) Website to support our IPA network with Q&A’s and work arounds

Thank you!