Connecting Consumers with Care 2019-21 Grant Guidelines Jennifer - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Connecting Consumers with Care 2019-21 Grant Guidelines Jennifer Lee, Senior Program Officer May 23, 2019

Foundation Mission & Values Expand access to health care for low-income and vulnerable populations in Massachusetts • Invested in the community through strategic grantmaking and knowledge-sharing • Dedicated to impartial and informative policy analysis • Engaged with the community through collaborations and convenings • Driven toward system change and improvement • Committed to diversity and inclusion • Committed to a culture of transparency and professionalism Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 2

2018 – 2020 Focus Areas Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 3

Criteria for Foundation Focus Areas • Relates to a current and critical health care issue • Draws on Foundation’s unique experience and expertise • Provides the system and the community with good data • Leads to concrete policy options that result in substantive impact and potential system improvements • Allows for synergies between grantmaking and policy work • Encourages collaboration Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 4

Assessing the Need: Environmental Scan • Essential supports needed for: enrollment, redeterminations, and navigating health insurance coverage using health insurance literacy approaches • While MA leads the country in overall uninsurance rates, many communities and populations still experience higher rates • Significant fear and concern among immigrant and refugee populations due to policy changes and political climate • Organizations operating within changing policy context: individual mandate repealed at federal level and ACO transitions Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 5

The Grant Program Basics • Funding amounts are $50,000 per year for up to two years • Programmatic funding – primarily supporting staff salary(ies) and other related expenses to run the program • Community-based organizations and community health centers eligible • Target population is low-income and vulnerable populations • Processes outlined in this webinar are not intended for Foundation’s existing Connecting Consumers with Care • Strengthening the Voice for Access, Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Urgent Care, and Going Beyond Health Care grantees are not eligible to apply Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 6

Key Elements for 2019-21 Grant Program • Support for immigrant and refugee populations • Addressing remaining uninsured • Enrolling, maintaining, and using coverage Outreach and enrollment • Reducing churn • Post-enrollment • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 7

Support for Immigrant & Refugee Populations • Federal policy changes, including proposed Public Charge rule, have heightened fear within immigrant and refugee populations • Potential to affect ability to access coverage and care • “Chilling effect” : Residents, both citizen and noncitizen, would be dissuaded from using public benefits for which they are eligible • Applicants asked to propose outreach strategies or enhanced education for immigrant populations eligible for coverage Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 8

Targeting the Remaining Uninsured • Despite significant gains in enrollment coverage in MA, some populations still experience high uninsurance rates • In June, Foundation will release Remaining Uninsured analysis that will dive deeper into some of these communities • Applicants asked to develop strategies to reach these specific populations, including partnering with other community organizations who already serve them, frequenting different community venues, and marketing campaigns • Question pertaining to this will only be asked in the Full Proposal round, for applicants invited to this second phase of the process Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 9

Outreach & Enrollment • Goal: Reach people who don’t have health insurance, and help them sign up for coverage • Identify populations affected by special circumstances (aging out of coverage, losing their jobs, seasonal employees, etc.) • Acknowledge social factors and bridge cultural and linguistic barriers when conducting outreach • Assist clients with understanding eligibility criteria and applying for coverage Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 10

Reducing Churn • Churn: when an individual erroneously falls off of coverage • Occurs in two types of instances: 1) administrative requirements in the enrollment process or 2) as a result of movement between public programs • Design approaches that will minimize this effect, including but not limited to: Patient education • Taking proactive steps or creating reminder systems to notify clients of changes • that may affect their coverage Helping clients submit renewal applications • Identifying opportunities to streamline enrollment, and incorporate them in • advocacy approaches or feedback loops to MassHealth and the administration Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 11

Post-Enrollment • Once someone has health insurance, they need to understand how to use it and keep it. This involves knowing: The type of coverage someone has and what it covers • What they need to pay for services • How to get or access those services • What next or continued steps they need to take • Whom or which organizations to go to for help • • Design approaches that include but are not limited to: Individual education • Group-based education • Producing materials that explain how to use your health insurance and access care • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 12

Reporting, Sharing Best Practices, Ongoing Learning • Grantees expected to provide regular reports on the impact of their work – structure, questions, and timeframes to be dictated by the Foundation • Data will be gathered and shared back with grantees and other stakeholders on trends, lessons learned, and best practices • Ongoing grantee convenings • Foundation shares impact and lessons with the field Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 13

Key Dates Thursday, June 20, 2019: • Letters of Inquiry due via portal @ 5 PM (required of all organizations not currently funded) Wednesday, July 10, 2019: • All applicants notified if invited to submit Full Proposal • Thursday, August 8, 2019: Full Proposals due via portal @ 5 PM from invited organizations only Wednesday, October 9, 2019: • Grant awards announced Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 14

Key Contact Info • Jennifer Lee, Senior Program Officer (for content questions related to proposal) Jennifer.Lee@bcbsma.com 617-246-3509 • Evelyn Monteiro, Administrative and Grants Coordinator (for technical questions related to portal) Evelyn.Monteiro@bcbsma.com 617-246-4850 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 15