Expert recommends states push for high-volume enrollment for 2014
Expert recommends states push for high-volume enrollment for 2014
States should implement a one-time, high-volume enrollment push at the launch of health reform, recommends Beth Morrow, director of health information technology initiatives for The Children's Partnership, a child advocacy organization with offices in Washington, DC, and Santa Monica, CA. To streamline the enrollment process, she says, states can build on the innovative efforts undertaken by Louisiana and Alabama.
"States could use Express Lane Eligibility principles to achieve high-leverage enrollment in 2014," she says. Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) specifically identifies Express Lane Eligibility as an exception to the use of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), Ms. Morrow explains, states can build it into their PPACA implementation strategy.
"As such, they should consider using full, statutory Express Lane Eligibility borrowing and relying on another public agency's eligibility findings to automatically enroll children under 133% of the Federal Poverty Level who are being transferred from the Children's Health Insurance Program to Medicaid, pursuant to PPACA."
States can also consider broader data-driven enrollment, says Ms. Morrow, by borrowing eligibility information provided to another public program. For instance, she says, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can be used to identify and enroll uninsured individuals, both adults and children. Similarly, individuals currently enrolled in public limited coverage programs who will become eligible for comprehensive coverage can be pre-enrolled, says Ms. Morrow.
Data-driven procedures can also be used, says Ms. Morrow, to "simplify the enrollment process for individuals who cannot avail themselves of all the simplifications offered by the PPACA, such as those who don't file federal taxes, and for those whose circumstances have changed."
States should be encouraged to deploy routine, data-driven procedures that use updated eligibility information to automatically renew coverage, says Ms. Morrow, unless the individual opts out of such data sharing. "Processes will also be needed to build bridges to hard-to-reach individuals who participate in other public programs but remain uninsured after 2014," she adds.
Contact Ms. Morrow at (718) 832-6061 or [email protected].
States should implement a one-time, high-volume enrollment push at the launch of health reform, recommends Beth Morrow, director of health information technology initiatives for The Children's Partnership, a child advocacy organization with offices in Washington, DC, and Santa Monica, CA. To streamline the enrollment process, she says, states can build on the innovative efforts undertaken by Louisiana and Alabama.Subscribe Now for Access
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