| The latest news from and for state health care advocates |
June 2012
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In each edition, we'll feature an action, victory, campaign, or interesting tactic shared by a state advocate. Send us your updates. |
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In This Issue:
Buzz around the States
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Advocates in Georgia participated in the 2012 Latino Health Summit at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health on June 7 and 8. Cindy Zeldin, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, presented about coverage disparities and the expected impact of the Affordable Care Act during a health policy and advocacy panel.The Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia also released a report about the status of Latino health in Georgia at the summit.
On June 18, Mark Hannay, executive director of Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign, was one of two recipients of the Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize. This award honors an individual and non-profit organization for distinguished accomplishment in the field of urban public health. Mark’s leadership has inspired many to join successful campaigns to expand access to affordable health care, particularly for the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Legal Health, a division of The New York Legal Assistance Group, was the second recipient of the award.
Pennsylvania Health Access Network’s Health on the Horizon project ends August 31, 2012. The purpose of the project is to take control of the framing of the Affordable Care Act and ensure its successful implementation in Pennsylvania. The project is led by a health educator who has posted a story once a week for one year beginning September 1, 2011.
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States in Focus
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As we look forward to new opportunities in 2014, let’s learn from Arizona advocates and others about innovative outreach strategies to enroll the millions of people who will be newly eligible for health care coverage.
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Arizona Advocates Step It Up to Enroll Kids in KidsCare II
In January 2010, Arizona froze enrollment in KidsCare, its health insurance program for children under 19. Since that time, more than 100,000 children have been put on the waiting list for the program. This past May, Arizona health care advocates scored a huge victory when the state, along with the Obama Administration and three hospital systems, reached an agreement allowing 22,000 kids to enroll in a new children’s coverage program called KidsCare II.
Even though state officials agreed to notify families on the waiting list about this new coverage opportunity, advocacy organizations understood that more strategic and robust outreach was needed in order to get people enrolled. As a result, groups have partnered to staff hotlines and do aggressive community engagement in the coming months. For example, this month, advocacy organizations worked with local radio and television stations to organize a statewide phone-a-thon about KidsCare II. On June 7, television viewers heard stories of people benefiting from KidsCare. Other stakeholders also urged viewers to call in later in the evening to learn if their children qualify for health insurance coverage. In a mere four hours, volunteers had spoken with more than 1,000 people and scheduled follow-up calls with nearly 400 people who have children eligible for the program. According to Matt Jewett, policy director at the Children’s Action Alliance, “The televised phone-a-thon allowed us to reach families who would have otherwise not known about this coverage opportunity—particularly many Latino families who viewed the program through the local Univision station.”
Arizona advocates plan to build on this victory by continuing to do outreach work for KidsCare II. They will also continue to fight back against cuts to public health programs and other attempts to undermine health reform implementation.
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Roundtable discussions can be an effective way to educate the public about the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act. While there are many falsehoods about the law, the public is receptive to the truth as long as trusted messengers explain it to them.
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Roundtable Discussions Bring Florida Advocates’ Message Closer to the Community
Advocates at Hispanic Health Initiatives, Inc. (HHI) in Florida have launched a series of educational roundtable discussions about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
Hispanic Health Initiatives collaborates with diverse partners on the roundtables, including Central Florida Health Alliance and the Metro-Orlando Hispanic Business Chamber of Commerce. This gains them visibility within the community. They also distribute flyers to promote the discussions and secure influential people, such as local business leaders and community health leaders, to host the events. Typically, advocates from Hispanic Health Initiatives give presentations, sometimes with guests, such as two retired pharmacists who helped them present recently. They also show videos about the health care law, such as Health Reform Hits Main Street, which was produced by Kaiser Family Foundation.
Since the launch of these roundtable events, Hispanic Health Initiatives has organized about two to four roundtables per month with the locations and topics tailored to their audience. In February, they partnered with the Metro-Orlando Hispanic Business Chamber of Commerce to hold a roundtable with more than 50 small business leaders within the Latino community. They have also worked with local community senior centers to reach Medicare populations. One of these events attracted about 70 seniors. And, more recently, they had an opportunity to reach an audience of more than 40 women at a weekend retreat for cancer survivors in Tampa. Most of the women in attendance did not have insurance for follow-up care, but now know about new options available to them through the Affordable Care Act.
Through these roundtable discussions, Hispanic Health Initiatives plays an important role in educating people about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
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New Mexico Advocates Work with Partners to Advance Transparency
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By coalescing around the broad concern over transparency, New Mexico advocates and coalition partners built strength in numbers to air their grievances. With the volume and diversity of voices pushing CMS and the Human Services Department, the department delayed their Medicaid waiver application and created a more transparent process that allows consumer voices to be heard and tribal consultation obligations met.
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On May 29, New Mexico advocates celebrated a victory for greater transparency within the state’s Medicaid redesign process. The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) had attempted to employ a Section 1115 waiver to create a comprehensive, managed care delivery system. Following public pressure by a coalition of advocacy groups, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) voiced its concern about the lack of public and tribal input in the consultation process.
Advocates at Health Action New Mexico (HANM) provided leadership in a coalition of organizations, including the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, that were troubled by the application process. On behalf of all coalition partners, the Center took the lead in drafting a formal letter to CMS that outlined concerns about a lack of transparency in the public and tribal consultation process. After hearing from many different stakeholders, including consumer groups, providers, tribes, and disability rights groups, CMS rebuked the Human Services Department. That prompted the department to delay its application and to agree to hold a series of hearings throughout the state to get public input on its Medicaid waiver proposal.
Initially, it appeared that Human Services Department would only hold two public hearings. In private negotiations, advocates pushed back and demanded more public hearings throughout the state. Ultimately, the department announced it would hold four public hearings in June and July in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Las Cruces.
While this didn’t leave advocates much time to promote the hearings, they are reaching out to their members and partnering with stakeholders to drive turnout. The hearings will also be webcast live and posted online for later viewing, which will expand viewership to more New Mexicans. There will also be multiple ways to submit comments—via email, phone, or mail.
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Beat of the Month
Listen to “Over the Rainbow” by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo`ole and remember that “the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
Advocate Tip:
Share Stories with the “I Am the Heart of ObamaCare” Campaign!
Families USA recently launched the “I Am the Heart of ObamaCare” campaign to remind everyone what the Affordable Care Act is really about: improving the health care system so that everyone has access to quality care. It is critical to do this in the weeks and months leading up to November. Share these stories with your family and friends and share your story, too.
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New Resources from Families USA and Stand Up for Health Carey
Take me to back issues of the Beat!
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