LANSING — Nearly 70 new outreach and enrollment workers will be hired at Michigan Health Centers to help enroll 100,000 uninsured Michiganders in health insurance programs, and the Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA) will receive funding to support those efforts.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded 31 Health Centers across the state with awards ranging from $59,000 to $269,056.

The Health Centers plan to hire 69 new outreach and enrollment staff and assist nearly 100,000 people with enrollment into affordable health insurance programs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the supplemental funding, issued by HRSA, complements other federal efforts, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services-funded Navigator program.

Cassopolis Family Clinic Executive Director Mary Geegan Middleton said CFC will receive $79,438 to hire 1.5 new full time staff members to help Cass and Southeast Berrien County residents enroll in health insurance programs such as Medicaid and the new Health Insurance Marketplace.

“Last year CFC provided care for nearly 1,860 patients who had no health insurance coverage. Many of these patients will qualify for tax credits to help with the cost of insurance, or Medicaid, under the Affordable Care Act. With these additional outreach and enrollment staff members we plan to assist our patients, as well as residents of the communities we serve, educating them on their health care options and connecting them to the help they need,” Middleton said.

“Health Centers already are a hub in their communities for providing comprehensive primary and preventive health care, connecting residents to local resources, and much more,” said MPCA Chief Executive Officer Kim Sibilsky. “We are pleased that Michigan Health Centers will be able to hire so many outreach and enrollment workers who will infuse their local communities with hands-on help to educate Michiganders about the Affordable Care Act and to enroll them in affordable health care coverage. MPCA is also glad to receive supplemental funds to support and coordinate outreach and enrollment efforts at the Health Centers. ”

MPCA will receive $139,564 in supplemental funding from HRSA to insure that Health Centers have timely and necessary information about their state’s consumer assistance training requirements and rollout of new affordable insurance options; coordinate Health Center outreach and enrollment activities with other consumer assistance efforts in the state; provide technical assistance and training on effective Health Center outreach and enrollment strategies; and monitor successes and barriers to health center outreach and enrollment activities.

The Health Center’s trained application assisters will help consumers with enrollment in Medicaid, MI Child, and Health Insurance Marketplace plans. More than 100 Health Center staff across the state already assist Michiganders access health coverage. Nationally, 1,159 Health Centers were awarded $150 million in supplemental funding.

 

“Having trained, face-to-face assistance in enrollment from trusted resources at local Health Centers means that more people will get the help they need,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN.

 

About Michigan Primary Care Association

Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA) has been the voice for Health Centers and other community-based providers in Michigan since 1980. It is a leader in building a healthy society in which all residents have convenient and affordable access to quality health care. MPCA’s mission is to promote, support, and develop comprehensive, accessible and affordable quality community-based primary care services to everyone in Michigan.