2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

325987
Charging Forward: Lessons Learned from the Implementation of the In-Person Assistor/Navigator Program for the NY State of Health Benefit Exchange within the Asian Pacific American Community


Wednesday, November 4, 2015 : 1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.

Lindsey Riley, MPH, Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza, MPH, Coalition for Asian American Children & Families, New York, NY
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background:  Modeled on successful community assistance programs in NY State (NYS), the IPA/Navigator program was designed to provide enrollment assistance for the NY State of Health (NYSOH) marketplace, as a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  In 2013, 10 organizations known as the Charging Forward Coalition were awarded funding to serve as IPA/Navigators and provide culturally- and linguistically-appropriate enrollment services for the Asian Pacific American (APA) community.

Methods:  The Coalition utilized best practices to reach vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations to provide education and dispel misinformation regarding the ACA, as well as promote their services and availability as IPA/Navigators.  Strategies included leveraging partnerships with ethnic media, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, consulates, healthcare providers, and business associations. Additionally, Coalition members held monthly meetings to share lessons learned, as well as serve as an active feedback loop to NYSOH regarding implementation issues.

Results:  Open enrollment for the NYSOH exchange began October 1st, 2013.  Among the funded agencies, 21 individuals received training and certification as IPA/Navigators, of which 19 different languages are represented.  To date, the group has collectively implemented 76 outreach events and assisted over 12,000 consumers to learn about their health coverage options.  Forthcoming results will include additional enrollment data from a second year, and qualitative feedback from IPA/Navigators.  Access issues experienced by consumers post-enrollment will also be discussed and presented with policy implications.

Conclusions:  IPA/Navigators are a critical component of the successful implementation of the ACA, and an important conduit for reaching and engaging the APA community in healthcare reform.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Describe how APA-serving organizations in NYC implemented an IPA/Navigator program to provide enrollment assistance for the NYSOH benefit exchange; Assess the impact of ACA and the NYSOH benefit exchange on insurance coverage options available to the APA community in NYS

Keyword(s): Affordable Care Act, Health Care Access

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: For the last two years, I have led and implemented the program at the NYU site, and have unique knowledge and insight to the barriers and challenges experienced by facilitated enrollers.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5178.0: Public Health Practice and the Affordable Care Act (ACA)