Health News
News that a new proposed rule on Navigators is under review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) hopefully means it won?t be long before we see model navigator training, conflict of interest and privacy standards. With any luck, release of the proposed standards should pave the way for the federal navigator grant solicitation.
The navigator funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will seek proposals from qualified organizations in the 33 states where the federal government will operate the exchange, including states that have opted for State Partnership Exchanges. Navigator grants in the 17 states (and D.C.) that are building their own state-based exchanges will not be included in this solicitation. The level of funding has not been disclosed but CMS officials have said the total amount will be allocated to states based on a formula that establishes a state minimum and factors in the number of uninsured people in the state. So there will be a larger pot of money for navigator grants in states with higher uninsured rates.
Any organization considering applying for a navigator grant should complete the registration process as soon as possible. Given the dwindling timeline, it?s not clear how long applicants will have to prepare their proposals but potential applicants ? particularly those who have never applied for a federal grant ? can register now. This doesn?t obligate you to apply but it gets the basics out of the way so you can concentrate on the substance of your response to the grant solicitation once it is announced. While applying for a federal grant might seem as daunting as finding a four-leaf clover, www.grants.gov provides step-by-step registration instructions in this checklist. There are five steps for registration and while most of the steps can be completed online the same day, Step 2 ? registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) ? can take up to two weeks.
A word of encouragement to small community-based organizations. Keep in mind that federal regulations require there to be at least two types of entities selected as navigators in any given state and one of those types must be a community or consumer-focused nonprofit organization. Capitalizing on the experience and passion in organizations that assist people with Medicaid and CHIP coverage is the best way to build a network of navigators to reach key populations of vulnerable and uninsured people and connect them to coverage. CMS officials have emphasized that all proposals ? small and large ? will be considered, so securing a grant could be a lot easier than catching a leprechaun!
If you want to learn more about navigators check out these two briefs:
?Countdown to 2014: Designing Navigator Programs to Meet the Needs of Consumers?
?Designing Navigator Programs to Meet the Needs of Consumers: Duties and Competencies?
For those of you who decide to apply for navigator funding, may the luck of the Irish be with you! Remember, registering now will put you five steps closer to the end of the rainbow.
Tricia Brooks
Senior Fellow
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children & Families
This blog was originally posted on Say Ahhh! a health care policy blog
- Training For In Person Counselors And Navigators In Illinois
The State is preparing to award grants in early July to community based entities who will employ helpers to educate consumers about their new health care options under the Affordable Care Act and to assist people in enrolling in the new...
- Update On Sb 1194 (the Insurance Navigator Act)
Starting October 2013, an estimated 1.6 million Illinois residents will be eligible for new and affordable forms of public and private health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. But the overwhelming majority of the newly eligible have no...
- Great News For The People Of Illinois...now What?
Yesterday, Governor Quinn announced that Illinois was awarded a $115 Million grant for its Health Insurance Marketplace (the online portal to enroll over a million adults and children into quality health plans). A large portion of this federal funding...
- Navigators, Assisters, And Counselors, Oh My!
By now we know that upwards of 30 million Americans will have new, more affordable health coverage options available to them by January 1, 2014. But what many don?t realize is how incredibly difficult it can be to understand and choose the right health...
- What Is The Illinois Partnership Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Affordable Care Act requires each state to have a health insurance marketplace (otherwise known as a "health insurance exchange"). Originally, the plan was for each state to establish its own health insurance marketplace, or default to a federally-run...
Health News
Finding the Pot of Gold at the End of the Navigator Rainbow!
News that a new proposed rule on Navigators is under review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) hopefully means it won?t be long before we see model navigator training, conflict of interest and privacy standards. With any luck, release of the proposed standards should pave the way for the federal navigator grant solicitation.
The navigator funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will seek proposals from qualified organizations in the 33 states where the federal government will operate the exchange, including states that have opted for State Partnership Exchanges. Navigator grants in the 17 states (and D.C.) that are building their own state-based exchanges will not be included in this solicitation. The level of funding has not been disclosed but CMS officials have said the total amount will be allocated to states based on a formula that establishes a state minimum and factors in the number of uninsured people in the state. So there will be a larger pot of money for navigator grants in states with higher uninsured rates.
Any organization considering applying for a navigator grant should complete the registration process as soon as possible. Given the dwindling timeline, it?s not clear how long applicants will have to prepare their proposals but potential applicants ? particularly those who have never applied for a federal grant ? can register now. This doesn?t obligate you to apply but it gets the basics out of the way so you can concentrate on the substance of your response to the grant solicitation once it is announced. While applying for a federal grant might seem as daunting as finding a four-leaf clover, www.grants.gov provides step-by-step registration instructions in this checklist. There are five steps for registration and while most of the steps can be completed online the same day, Step 2 ? registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) ? can take up to two weeks.
A word of encouragement to small community-based organizations. Keep in mind that federal regulations require there to be at least two types of entities selected as navigators in any given state and one of those types must be a community or consumer-focused nonprofit organization. Capitalizing on the experience and passion in organizations that assist people with Medicaid and CHIP coverage is the best way to build a network of navigators to reach key populations of vulnerable and uninsured people and connect them to coverage. CMS officials have emphasized that all proposals ? small and large ? will be considered, so securing a grant could be a lot easier than catching a leprechaun!
If you want to learn more about navigators check out these two briefs:
?Countdown to 2014: Designing Navigator Programs to Meet the Needs of Consumers?
?Designing Navigator Programs to Meet the Needs of Consumers: Duties and Competencies?
For those of you who decide to apply for navigator funding, may the luck of the Irish be with you! Remember, registering now will put you five steps closer to the end of the rainbow.
Tricia Brooks
Senior Fellow
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children & Families
This blog was originally posted on Say Ahhh! a health care policy blog
- Training For In Person Counselors And Navigators In Illinois
The State is preparing to award grants in early July to community based entities who will employ helpers to educate consumers about their new health care options under the Affordable Care Act and to assist people in enrolling in the new...
- Update On Sb 1194 (the Insurance Navigator Act)
Starting October 2013, an estimated 1.6 million Illinois residents will be eligible for new and affordable forms of public and private health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. But the overwhelming majority of the newly eligible have no...
- Great News For The People Of Illinois...now What?
Yesterday, Governor Quinn announced that Illinois was awarded a $115 Million grant for its Health Insurance Marketplace (the online portal to enroll over a million adults and children into quality health plans). A large portion of this federal funding...
- Navigators, Assisters, And Counselors, Oh My!
By now we know that upwards of 30 million Americans will have new, more affordable health coverage options available to them by January 1, 2014. But what many don?t realize is how incredibly difficult it can be to understand and choose the right health...
- What Is The Illinois Partnership Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Affordable Care Act requires each state to have a health insurance marketplace (otherwise known as a "health insurance exchange"). Originally, the plan was for each state to establish its own health insurance marketplace, or default to a federally-run...