1. Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program
Katherine Gunby
Program Coordinator
NPHIC
February 27, 2014

2. Consumer Assistance Programs throughout the state – role

3. Services of Consumer Assistance Programs
Certified Navigators:
Expertise in eligibility, enrollment. Facilitate selection of health plans.
Assisters:
Outreach and education activities. Consumer assistance with application.

4. Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program
About the new program
17 new positions
Hired centrally, deployed locally
Virtual Contact Center
Collaborative Approach & Steering Committee:
Health Departments
Dept. of Social Services
AGH, PRMC, McCready
TLC
Libraries
Other community-based organizations
Staff are located at LHDs, DSSs, TLC – Princess Anne, Pocomoke, Salisbury, PRMC, Crisfield Clinic, local libraries and many more events/pharmacies each week.
We are primarily scheduling in person appointments with navigators or assisters who work closest to the individual.
We are finding that many people have not come in contact with services before, these are working people who may have not been aware of our services or felt stigmatized by asking for help and we’re now better able to connect them to other community resources and other agencies for needs they may have.

5. More than 23,000 uninsured in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties.
That’s 4,433 in Somerset
12,764 in Wicomico
And 5,946 in Worcester
But who are the uninsured?
Contractors, farmers, watermen, service sector employees, small businesses… they are working families.
40% of these folks make 138% or less of FPL
46% make between % of FPL
So 86% of uninsured in our area qualify for assistance to pay for quality health insurance.

6. Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program
23,143 Uninsured
-52% White
-6% Hispanic
-34%Black
-8% Other
-87% Under 65
-46% QHP
-41% Mediccare Eligible (?)

7. Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program
Serving residents of Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties.
LOCAL call center:
Website:
Apply online:
Our call center is virtual, meaning that we the 855 number rolls directly to our navigators and assisters cell phones in the field. This has allowed us to be even more accessible to people in our rural region.
Fielded more than 1,244 calls since Oct. 1– inbound and outbound to clients.
We have held 76 outreach events.

8. Approach Mobile services Paid advertising Digital marketing
Traditional outreach and public information

9. Mobile Services 15 certified staff at more than 30 locations.
Mobile equipment.
Virtual contact center to reach certified staff in field.
Enrollment assistance in the community.
Potential reach can be maximized.
Since staff are mobile, they can reach many more people than they could if they were stationary.

10. Paid Advertising
-Discuss other paid advertising

11. Digital Marketing: Social Media

12. Traditional Outreach Methods Activities Audience Office education
Hold regular office hours
Uninsured
Mobile information sessions
Health fairs, community gathering places, community group events, etc.
Rural, isolated people, etc.
Libraries
Access to enrollment system on computers and hands on demonstrations
Distribution of marketing materials
Pamphlets, brochures, flyers, etc.
Uninsured, small business owners, employees
-Also mention MedChi efforts
-While we’re increasing our visibility with our boots on the ground outreach efforts, we also are tapping into the media to let people know that we are here to help.

13. Outreach Events

14. Where Will We Go From Here?
Continued community outreach
Community gathering events
Library events
Office education
Social media
Distribution of marketing materials
Story banking
Advertising
Local TV Commercial
Hyperlink:

15. Questions
Katherine Gunby Worcester County Health Department Program Coordinator