Public Health Solutions
Public Health Solutions
Grant Status
Completed
Project Title
Applying Technology to Increase Health Insurance Enrollment
Award Amount
$75,000
Location
New York City
Website
http://www.healthsolutions.org/
Date Awarded
July 21, 2009
New York State-designated “facilitated enrollers” currently navigate a complex, time-consuming, error-prone, and redundant paper-based system to enroll eligible individuals in public health insurance programs. This grant will allow Public Health Solutions (PHS) to establish a financially sustainable electronic application process resulting in a 40% increase in enrollment, and significant cost savings and efficiencies.
Approximately 1 million New Yorkers are estimated to be eligible for public health insurance but are not enrolled. Until recently, enrollment required applicants to enter the same information multiple times by hand, and enrollers to hand-deliver batches of applications to a central location. The New York City Human Resources Administration has started to accept and process electronic applications to address the inefficiencies of the paper-based system. To take advantage of this change, PHS will purchase the technology necessary to implement an automated application process, including certified software, laptops, scanners and printers. It will also provide a report on practical lessons learned during the transition in order to assist facilitated enrollers considering electronic automation.