03/04/10 – "Trusted Hands" Offer Promising Means to Enroll More Children in Public Health Insurance Programs
by Deidre JohnsonProgram Officer, The Colorado Trust
There is a movement underway in Colorado that shows promise in enrolling more children in public health insurance programs. This is particularly important as our state holds the unfortunate distinction of being nearly the worst in the country (49th) at insuring our poorest and most vulnerable children.
A new Colorado Trust Issue Brief, prepared by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver, details the advantages, as well as the challenges still to be addressed, of the so-called Trusted Hand approach to enrolling traditionally hard-to-reach children in public health insurance programs. While the most common locations for enrollment assistance are state and local social service agencies and health clinics, many states are increasing their network to include a variety of community-based organizations that typically have not been involved in public health insurance application assistance. This strategy is effective in that it reaches families where they already have established, trusted relationships.
Nineteen community-based organizations are receiving support from The Colorado Trust to identify and enroll eligible, but uninsured children and youth in Medicaid and CHP+. These organizations include after-school programs, clinics, agencies serving low-income families, homeless families and abused children, a school district and an affordable housing provider. Several of these organizations are also taking part in an intensive evaluation to help learn more about how to further improve this method of reaching and enrolling children in public health insurance programs.
For more information about this effort, contact Deidre Johnson, or to learn more about the evaluation, contact Tanya Beer.
TOP Comments (1)