Arkansas will use Medicaid money to hire an additional 100 “in-person assisters” to help enroll people for coverage under theexpansion of the insurance program for the poor approved by the Legislature during this year’s session, state officials said Thursday.
The workers are part of a planned campaign to encourage eligible residents tosign up for subsidized health insurance that will be available to more than 500,000 low- and moderate-income Arkansans, with enrollment starting Oct. 1 for coverage that will start Jan. 1.
Lawmakers were briefedon components of the campaign Thursday as the Legislative Council’s Review Subcommittee endorsed the Arkansas Insurance Department’s $4.3 million contract with Mangan Holcomb Partners of Little Rock, a marketing and public-relations firm, to spread the word through advertisements, social media and other means about the options that will be available.
Those options includefederally subsidized health insurance that will be available to people with household incomes of up to 400 percent of the poverty level- up to $45,960 for an individual and $94,200 for a family of four.
Under the Medicaid expansion, about 250,000 others will be eligible to have their premiums paid entirely by the insurance program for the poor. The assistance will be available to those making up to 138 percent of the poverty level - $15,860 for an individual or $32,500 for a family of four.
Including the 100 Medicaid-funded workers, the Insurance Department plans to deploy 637 of the in-person assistants to help people enroll.
All the workers will be hired through contracts being negotiated with 30 businesses, nonprofit groups and government agencies that responded to a department solicitation. The Insurance Department plans to pay for 537 of the outreach workers from $16 million in federal money for the implementation of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The Medicaid-funded workers will be stationed in the state Department of Human Services’ 83 offices around the state, said Joni Jones, director of the department’s County Operations Division.
Each office also will have a computer station where a worker can help people use a federal and state websiteto enroll in coverage.
Outreach workers will be stationed at other locations around the state.
Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison, questioned how well the workers would be able to explain the options that would be available under the complex law.
“I just see it going on borderline disaster in a lot of ways,” he said.
After the meeting, Cindy Crone, the Insurance Department’s planning director for the exchange where the subsidized insurance will be available, responded, “Give us a chance.”
She said the workers will receive training from community colleges that will be offered under a $2.4 million contract with the state Department of Higher Education. The training, which also will include online classes, is expected tobegin in June and finish in August or September. The workers will be licensed by the Insurance Department.
The outreach campaign is expected to include educational events, direct mail and signs displayed at gas pumps as well as television spots, newspaper ads, billboards and other media. Versions of the advertisements will also appear in Spanish and other languages.
Rep. Terry Rice, R-Waldron, wanted to make sure the content of the materials wasn’t going to be dictated by the federal government, though the government has primary control over the exchange.
Crone said Arkansas will choose what information is included.
“The intent is to give people accurate information to drive them to enroll,” Crone said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 05/24/2013