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by Rachel Simon

Enrolling Virginians in Medicaid with Deepak Madala

(Nov. 12, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with Deepak Madala, Director of Enroll Virginia, to discuss the process of enrolling Virginians in Medicaid. Enroll Virginia was created by the Virginia Poverty Law Center, and is a non-partisan community based effort to educate all Virginians about the new health insurance marketplace and provide free, unbiased assistance with the application and enrollment process.

When the Virginia General Assembly passed Medicaid expansion this year, Virginia became the 33rd state to expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Approximately 400,000 Virginians became eligible for benefits. Deepak explains how Enroll Virginia is working hard to reach eligible participants, and get them signed up for health insurance. Madala notes that Virginia has the benefit of learning best practices, and pitfalls, from the states that have already gone through this process.

Medicaid is sometimes confused with Medicare. Both Medicaid and Medicare are public health insurance programs but Medicare is administered solely by the federal government and provides coverage for seniors aged 65+, people with disabilities, and those with end stage renal disease. Medicaid (the subject of this show) is a partnership between the federal government and the state governments, designed to provide health insurance coverage for those in poverty. When the ACA passed in 2010, it afforded the states the option of expanding Medicaid with federal dollars for adults aged 19-64 who are considered the “working poor”. Applicants can make up to 400% of the poverty level and still qualify for this program. The state administers and sets guidelines for this program, however it is funded through federal tax dollars.

Deepak Madala VPLCEnroll Virginia is working hard to reach everyone who is eligible for this coverage. They are leveraging partners in the social services arena to spread the word and educate the public.   “Train the Trainer” workshops are being scheduled throughout the commonwealth. This is helping to educate social workers and case managers, so they can better understand and communicate eligibility and benefits. Organizations can contact the Virginia Health Care Foundation to register for a SignUpNow workshop. There are no restrictions of who can receive this training; it can be a non-profit, a religious organization or even a business.   The rules have changed for the better here in Virginia, and their mission to ensure that the word gets out.

For those who are interested in finding out if they are eligible, they can simply call the 1-800 number to speak with a trained representative, go online to do the application or they can mail in a paper copy. The applicants will need to provide information about income, and after that is verified they will know what benefits they are eligible for. If the applicant calls in, and their income can be verified on the spot, then they may not even have a waiting period to know how to proceed.

Enrollment for Medicaid is rolling, so there is no deadline to get signed up (as there is in traditional insurance plans). However, the deadline for securing insurance with the ACA State Marketplace is December 15th. So, if an applicant is not sure of whether or not they are eligible for Medicaid Expansion they should contact the office as soon as possible, because if they do not qualify for Medicaid then they have adequate time to secure private insurance by the December 15th deadline.

There are six different plan options available to all Virginians, which are different health insurance networks. Coverage is not limited, and there are no premiums, co-pays or deductibles. There is also a specific emphasis on preventative care, things like immunizations and well visits. When choosing a plan, applicants will want to review the various networks to find their current doctors, in order to ensure that they are finding a plan that best meets their needs. Many of the free clinics, where these patients currently seek care, will have counselors on hand to help patients navigate getting signed up for Medicaid and best understand all of the different options.

For people who are already receiving certain benefits from the state, such as FAMIS, Virginia’s health insurance program for children, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the state has technology in place to assess eligibility for other family members. Recipients should expect to receive a YELLOW envelope in the mail, where they will need to complete a few more pieces of information in order to finalize the application. The goal of the program is to enroll as many eligible participants as possible. If people do not receive this envelope, they should visit the CoverVA website, call 1-855-242-8282, email [email protected], or fill out a paper application at their local social services office to determine eligibility.

Filed Under: Inside Scoop, TV Shows, Virginia Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, CHIP, Cover Virginia, Deepak Madala, Enroll Virginia, FAMIS, medicaid, Medicaid Eligibility, Medicaid Expansion, Medicare, SNAP, Train the Trainer, Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Poverty Law Center

by Catherine Read

Fairfax Food Council with Terri Siggins and Christina Garris

(July 28, 2017) Catherine Read talks with Terri Siggins, Project Coordinator for the Fairfax Food Council, and Christina Garris, Chair of the Fairfax Food Council and the Programs Director for Britepaths, a local non-profit that is one of the member organizations.

In the first segment, Terri Siggins outlines how the Fairfax Food Council came about as a result of a comprehensive strategic planning process undertaken by the Fairfax County Health Department in 2008. That process focused on identifying health needs in the county and in 2013 the Partnership for Healthier Fairfax developed CHIP – Community Health Improvement Plan. CHIP identified healthy eating as a key component of that plan and out of that process the Fairfax Food Council was born.

In the Spring of 2015 the Fairfax Food Council initiated a Community Food Assessment focusing on three communities in the county: Mount Vernon, Bailey’s Crossroads and the Reston/Herndon area. These are considered “high needs” communities. The assessment provided the guiding principles for the Fairfax Food Council and helped to identify “pockets of need” that exist within larger communities.

The Food4Thought program that provides food to students on weekends was developed out of an identified need at the Marshall Road Elementary School in Vienna, VA. Students eligible for free and reduced school lunches often did not have access to food over the weekend. The school’s principal, social worker and PTA worked with Britepaths to collect, coordinate and distribute food to those students in a way that maintained their privacy and dignity. The Food4Thought program continues to expand to other area elementary schools with each new school year. It’s an example of the collaborative nature of meeting identified needs and adapting to specific circumstances by school.

One of the initiatives of the Fairfax Food Council is to create partnerships and collaboration among government agencies, non-profits, faith communities, businesses, schools and individual community members. Currently the council is funded by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and is housed within the Fairfax County Health Department. That grant carries them through July of 2018 at which time they will continue to look for other sources of funding to help expand their programs and bring on staff members.

Christina GarrisThe Fairfax Food Council has three work groups: Food Access, Urban Agriculture and Food Literacy. The Food Literacy project has developed templates for area food pantries to use in educating those they serve about nutrition and healthy eating. The Capital Area Food Bank is a member of the council and recently changed their policies to exclude donations of junk food and candy to their pantries. One of the templates they have developed is a guide for food pantries to use with donors in helping to guide their donations toward healthier items and “most requested” needs.

Christina Garris talks about the pivot toward grocery gift cards that Britepaths made several years ago and the benefit to families who are also in their financial literacy classes to learn budgeting. The Our Daily Veggies vouchers developed in collaboration with area farmer’s markets are also part of a larger program of Healthy Eating Workshops that focus on healthier meal preparation. With a grant from the USDA, the Fairfax Food Council has launched a SNAP Matching Program that allows SNAP recipients to buy $10 worth of produce at a participating farmer’s market for only $5. Here in Northern Virginia food access is a greater problem than food deserts which makes fresh foods more difficult to obtain or more expensive if purchased through convenience stores.

Terri Siggins Christina GarrisIn addition to the collaborative partnerships the Fairfax Food Council is pulling together, they invite individual members of the community to participate in any or all of their working groups. Monthly meetings are held at the Kelly Square Health Department Offices and the schedule is posted online. A focus on the social determinants of health outcomes is entering the lexicon of how we talk about healthy communities and the wellness of individuals within those communities. The Fairfax Food Council will continue to innovate, educate and create the tools necessary to help ensure healthy communities here in Fairfax County.  You can also follow them on Facebook.

Filed Under: Blogging, TV Shows, Virginia, Your Need to Know Tagged With: Britepaths, Christina Garris, Fairfax County, Fairfax County Health Department, Fairfax Food Council, Food Access, Food Literacy, Food4Thought, Our Daily Veggies, SNAP, Terri Siggins, Urban Agriculture

Catherine S. Read
I believe in the power of community and the ability of one person to make a difference.

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