Rural Communities Health Insurance Marketplace Agenda Rural Outreach

Rural Communities & Health Insurance Marketplace

Agenda • Rural Outreach Challenges • Barriers to Enrollment • Medicaid Gap • Tactics for Overcoming Challenges

Rural Outreach Challenges

Outreach Challenges • • Political Divide Perception of “Obamacare” Inaccurate or Incomplete Media Messaging Uncertainty with the recent election of Donald Trump

Outreach Challenges • Mistrust in Obamacare • Assister’s are seen as outsiders to rural communities • Difficult to know the community well

Outreach Challenges • Access to the Consumer/Community – Rural communities are often spread out and it’s difficult to reach people on a large scale • Effective/Accurate Messaging and Awareness – Determine best way to get message out to public

Outreach Challenges Geographical Challenges • Resources • Time • Funding

Barriers to Enrollment

Barriers to Enrollment Varied income It can be difficult to determine income based on: • Farming • Self-employment • Season/part-time work • Unreliable positions

Barriers to Enrollment Limited choice and access to care

Barriers to Enrollment Affordability • The Marketplace includes gross income and only a few deductions when calculating income, when considering other bills and expenses, the insurance may not be affordable. • The Marketplace considers insurance unaffordable if the cost exceeds 9. 66% of total family income.

Barriers to Enrollment Communication • Language- There are many rural communities where English is a second language or have populations who do not speak any English, translators are not always available or reliable • Literacy- General literacy levels may be lower in rural areas, making the complexity of health insurance more difficult to understand

Barriers to Enrollment Lack of Transportation • Public transportation is very limited or non-existent in rural areas • Personal transportation may be a challenge as well due to low income and lack of resources for vehicle repair

Medicaid Gap

Impact of Medicaid Gap • Creates stronger distrust and more confusion towards the ACA and its benefits • Medicaid Gap leaves thousands in Missouri uninsured, without access to proper healthcare resources

Steps to Access Care within the Medicaid Gap Community Coalitions Build relationships and gain awareness of available resources

Tactics for Overcoming Challenges

Tactics for Overcoming Challenges Research Learn as much as possible about the community Spend Time Take time to be in the community Snowball Ask people where you should go after developing relationships

Tactics for Overcoming Challenges Meet Consumers Where They Are • Higher success when joining existing events • Partner with organizations where consumers are regularly visiting

Tactics Meet Consumers Where They Are Direct outreach to employers

Tactics Meet Consumers Where They Are • Church • Ministerial Alliance • Church outreach programs • Food pantries

Tactics Meet Consumers Where They Are Community centers Coffee shops, restaurants Libraries High School sporting events

Tactics Meet Consumers Where They Are Other places to meet: • • • Schools Grocery stores Feed and supply stores Implement dealerships MFAs

Tactics Creative Partnerships • Partnerships with local organizations are critical for success in reaching rural communities • Organizations can be your advocate • Partnerships can provide insight into new ways in reaching consumers • Partnerships help gain trust with community members

Tactics Creative Partnerships Collaborate Offer value to the organization for mutual benefit Staff Education Spend time working with staff to ensure they have a strong base knowledge and understanding of the ACA and the role of an assister

Tactics Creative Partnerships Maximize Volume Work with existing client base – Partner with organizations whose client base will benefit from the Marketplace – This will help spread the word about assister services and ACA

Tactics Creative Partnerships • Career Center • OACAC • Health Department • Community Coalitions

Tactics for Overcoming Challenges Cultivate partnerships • Share results with partners, share outreach and enrollment numbers and success to help them see their value in your efforts • Show appreciation- small acts of gratitude go a long way

Tactics for Overcoming Challenges Media • Build relationships with local media • Reference local phone numbers and organizations in messaging. 1 -800 phone numbers are not effective

Questions?

Workshop Rural Community Outreach Strategic Plan • Choose a Rural Community in your area • Identify 2 outreach challenges • Create a strategy to overcome each challenge • Goals for each strategy • Maintaining success in your community