Expanding Health Care Coverage

Grantee Name

Health & Welfare Council of Long Island

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Publication Date

August 2009

Grant Amount

$86,000

Grant Date:

January 2008–December 2008

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Long Islanders feel the impact of uninsurance as strongly as other communities across New York State.

To address this issue, the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island attempted to standardize interpretations of eligibility rules and procedures used by various Long Island enrollment agencies to reduce health insurance applications processing delays and unnecessary rejected applications.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Convened the key players responsible for enrollment and re-enrollment in Nassau and Suffolk Counties to discuss similarities and differences in their processes, and to find ways to standardize and streamline the process;
  • Facilitated communication between enrollment agencies and local departments of social services regarding the status of applications.
  • Developed Change of Address and Additional Information forms to help streamline the process.
  • Developed a Cheat Sheet for enrolling agencies to clarify requirements and improve the quality of applications.
  • Clarified key points of difference on State and Federal requirements by involving a State Department of Health representative during each meeting.

Read the report associated with this grant, “An Assessment of New York Health Foundation 2007 Health Insurance Coverage Grants.”