Current Projects

Eight active work groups meet regularly to address the Washtenaw Health Initiative’s focus areas. With support from staff members at the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), these groups generate innovative ideas to improve health and healthcare in the county, identify and share information on medical and social care gaps, coordinate and leverage resources, and plan and direct strategic projects and activities.

Medicaid & Marketplace Outreach & Enrollment

The Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment (MMOE) Work Group designs and implements community-based initiatives that increase enrollment in health insurance plans. Work group activities include:

  • Recruiting and training student volunteers to assist with outreach events and enrollment activities,
  • Helping work group volunteers and the organizations they serve promote Medicaid and Marketplace health plans on college campuses;
  • Educating those who assist with enrollment;
  • Tracking Medicaid and Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment at agencies across the county; and
  • Distributing flyers to encourage enrollment, particularly among students, immigrants, and small businesses in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.

Achievements

During the fifth open enrollment period alone–the shortest open enrollment since the Affordable Care Act launched in 2014–WHI member organizations processed 12,869 Medicaid/Healthy Michigan Plan applications, 465 Health Insurance Marketplace applications, and 150 Health Insurance Assistance Program applications.

Ongoing work

In recent years, the federal government has made substantial changes to the funding and organization of outreach, education, and enrollment activities for the Health Insurance Marketplace. These changes have made recent open enrollment periods shorter, have reduced funding for advertising open enrollment, and have reduced funding for staff at local organizations that provide enrollment assistance.

The Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment Work Group has focused on ensuring that these barriers don’t prevent vulnerable populations in Washtenaw County from applying for the health insurance they require.

As the state prepares for Medicaid work requirements, which go into effect in January 2020, the Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment work group will ensure that those who qualify for the Healthy Michigan Plan know when and how to take action, receive assistance with exemption applications, and have the ongoing support they need to maintain coverage.

Members

The Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment Work Group is co-chaired by Kimberly Hulbert from St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor and Alena Hill of Michigan Medicine. Other work group members include staff and volunteers from University Health Services, Western Washtenaw Democrats, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, University of Michigan-Flint, and the Washtenaw Health Plan.

For more information

  • Contact the committee co-chairs: Kimberly Hulbert, manager – benefit advocacy, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, Ann Arbor, kimberly.hulbert@stjoeshealth.org and Alena Hill, senior director pre-service, Michigan Medicine, alena@med.umich.edu.
  • Contact the committee’s staff representative: Samantha Iovan, Senior Health Care Analyst at the Center for Health and Research Transformation, siovan@umich.edu.