With the release of CCF’s enrollment report, the need for outreach to people who have recently lost Medicaid coverage due to the unwinding has never been more clear. The coming months will be a critical period for reconnecting eligible children and families with coverage to minimize gaps and the risk of becoming uninsured.
There are many lessons to be learned from the unwinding. But one aspect of the unwinding that is striking, as evidenced in CCF’s tracking of state unwinding strategies and policies, is the extent to which states intensified outreach, communications, and engagement of community partners. This clearly signifies what states can do when they prioritize efforts to keep eligible kids and families enrolled. Seizing this momentum and pivoting communications approaches and outreach messages to re-enrollment of eligible children and individuals should be a priority for states as the unwinding winds down.
To provide a snapshot of how states are engaged in non-unwinding related outreach and enrollment assistance, we searched state websites to identify and inventory various strategies and resources that are available or linked online. We scanned all 50 states (and DC) Medicaid agency and CHIP websites, and state-based marketplaces in states where Medicaid eligibility is integrated, for a wide variety of outreach resources and enrollment tools.
The scan is divided into several tables. First, we include the websites used, enrollment landing pages, mobile applications, and Medicaid paper applications. Next, we found social media accounts operated by states and integrated SBMs, which are a cost-effective medium for reaching diverse audiences. Outreach resources such as toolkits, FAQs, and campaigns focused on children or back-to-school efforts were also included. We scanned state accounts for how-to videos that provide step-by-step instructions on creating an online account, completing the application, and renewing coverage. Language supports offered on state websites were included, as well as community-based assistance, such as assister programs, assister locators, and marketplace navigators.
There remain many questions about how states conduct outreach and support community-based assistance, such as whether or not states have dedicated outreach staff positions. Our goal in posting this point-in-time snapshot of state outreach efforts and resources is to offer states and stakeholders ideas and approaches employed in other states to ensure that all eligible children and families have access to the healthcare they need to thrive. No amount of online content can fully replace the need for consumer assistance through call centers and from community-based organizations, but states can do more to maximize online resources to advance the use of self-service options that promote enrollment and continuity of coverage.
We hope this resource will be a useful tool for states and stakeholders to see what other states are or are not doing for outreach and enrollment assistance, offering new ideas and examples of strategies and resources that can be replicated elsewhere.
[Editor’s Note: We recognize that our scan might have missed a resource in your state. If you have materials that should be added to the scan, please send an email with the subject line “Outreach Scan Update” to childhealth@georgetown.edu by June 30, 2024. In the email, please include a link that we can use to verify the information you send. After June 30, 2024, no additional updates will be made to these state data tables.]
