The Connect Campaign ended as of March 2014

“As previously announced, the Connect Campaign has ended as of this month.  Although we know it is the right decision, it’s tough to see it end.  For more about our thoughts on this milestone, visit our CCMU blog post.  For an overview of why the campaign began and our accomplishments together over the last 3 years, please read our Final Report here. The website dedicated to the Connect Campaign will be shutting down at the end of March.  There is now a new home for our materials on the CCMU website.

There are other forums that exist to continue the work of improving Medicaid. Closing down Connect means we consolidate the number of tables that discuss issues and hopefully reach a solution more quickly.  If you are interested in engaging on eligibility and enrollment issues, Covering Kids and Families is happy to share resources and/or will welcome your input.  If you have cases that are in need of resolution or legal advocacy, please reach out to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.  If you are interested in engaging in work around ensuring access to care in the state, CCMU will get in touch with you via the Connect Campaign distribution list. You do not have to take additional action.  If you feel any issues are not being addressed in other forums, please let CCMU know.”  [Source: Connect Campaign]

The Connect Campaign will conclude in March 2014

"The Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved has been proudly convening the Connect to Coverage, Connect to Care Campaign since April 2011.  As a result of this Campaign’s great work, we had a successful implementation of the limited Medicaid expansion for low-income adults without dependent children and we are on our way to increasing the eligibility levels to 133% for this same population (as well as for parents).

We have decided that the Campaign has accomplished its mission and the time is right for this group to conclude in March 2014.  You can still engage in the ongoing work with Covering Kids and Families, who will continue to focus on eligibility, outreach, and enrollment for kids and parents, along with monitoring and proposing solutions for strong implementation of the ACA in Colorado. They welcome your insights and participation in their work groups or by subscribing to their monthly newsletter.

In the remaining months, we will dedicate freed-up resources to the “connect to care” piece, as this is more important than ever with the expansion of coverage and is an outstanding issues that needs intentional focus and action.  Please contact Aubrey Hill via email (aubrey.hill@ccmu.org) with any general thoughts or questions."  [Source: The Connect Campaign]

Connect Campaign wants to hear from you!

ClinicNET continues to participate in the Connect Campaign, a collaboration of stakeholders formed in 2011 to fulfill the promise of coverage and care for newly Medicaid eligible low-income adults without dependent children (AWDC.) Over time, the Campaign’s focus broadened to ensure Medicaid’s ability to cover and care for all of its populations efficiently and effectively.

We would like to be able to accurately represent your perspective and experiences relative to AwDC Medicaid Early Enrollment to date. For example, have patients been asking any questions about the Medicaid roll out or have you encountered any specific issues in the first 2 months of this Medicaid expansion? Please contact Brooke Powers, brooke.powers@clinicnet.org, or Aubrey Hill, aubrey.hill@ccmu.org with any stories or experiences you would like to share.

The Connect Campaign Updates: Adults without Dependents, Progress & Lessons

• A new data dashboard can be viewed here on the current limited enrollment of adults without dependent children in Medicaid.
• Department of Health Care Policy & Financing has a number of helpful resources that you can use in your outreach including:
• Flyer on where to apply for health insurance,
• Checklist on what you will need for application,
• All outreach resources can be found here.
• Paper application training coming soon – Covering Kids and Families is working on making this available for partners. If you’re interested in learning more, contact Stephanie Brooks at sbrooks@cchn.org.
• Latest details on dental benefits for adults on Medicaid to start next year.”  [Source: The Connect Campaign]

The Connect Campaign Updates

"Adults without Dependents:  Progress & Lessons

• An UPDATED data dashboard can be viewed here on the current limited enrollment of adults without dependent children in Medicaid.  Let Aubrey (aubrey.hill@ccmu.org) know how this can be more useful for your work!
• Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) will be discussing lessons learned with the limited expansion of Medicaid for adults without dependents over the next few months.  If you want to attend these meetings or call in, email Sonja Madera (sonja.madera@state.co.us).
• HCPF is also gathering names for a communications list regarding the definition of dental benefits for adults on Medicaid.  Email Mary Kathryn Hurd (mk.hurd@state.co.us) if you would like to be included.

Connect Campaign Updates
Save the date for upcoming events.  More details will be provided soon!

• July 22 from 1:00-2:30pm - Monthly meeting to discuss provider readiness and recruitment.  For more information, contact Aubrey (aubrey.hill@ccmu.org).
• July 31 from 11:00am-12:00pm - ACC 101 Webinar:  HCPF will be discussing why the ACC is important and empower you to talk about the ACC with your organization and clients. 
• September 5 all day - Summit jointly convened by Connect Campaign and Covering Kids & Families about upcoming changes in enrollment, coverage, and access to care."  [Source:  The Connect Campaign]

Connect Campaign Updates

"The Connect Campaign is a collaboration of stakeholders working toward successful coverage and access to care for all of Colorado's Medicaid populations. Conclusion of Legislative Session This legislative session was successful for our vulnerable populations especially with the passage of two new laws: SB 200 enables Colorado to expand Medicaid up to 133% for all adults (parents and adults without dependents) to be implemented in January 2014. SB 242 promulgates a limited dental benefit for all adults on Medicaid, including pregnant women, adults with disabilities, parents, and adults without dependent children (including new expansion populations). A stakeholder process will be formed this summer and fall to detail the benefit, which will begin in April 2014. Email Sheeba Ibidunni to stay informed. Adults without Dependents: Progress & Lessons A new data dashboard can be viewed here on the current limited enrollment of adults without dependent children in Medicaid. Department of Health Care Policy & Financing will be discussing lessons learned with the limited expansion of Medicaid for adults without dependents over the next few months. If you want to attend these meetings or call in, email Sonja Madera. The Connect Campaign is currently working through barriers and opportunities among health care providers so we can maximize readiness as well as recruitment efforts. Let Aubrey know if you have barriers or successes that you'd like to share, or join us at our next meeting in June!" [Source: CCMU]

Progress-to-date of the adults without dependent children Medicaid expansion

"The currently limited adults without dependent children expansion in Medicaid has been progressing. The maximum number of enrollments has been consistently fulfilled while the waiting pool has been growing an average of 1,000 per month since September 2012.

It is positive to see that people are continuing to apply for benefits. Despite being put into the waiting pool, a connection to CICP in the meantime will assist them with needed care. Additionally, the state will be able to automatically enroll them into benefits on January 1, 2014.

We're pleased that the Department continues to share data on enrollment and we continue to request data on care utilization. Check out our data dashboard showing progress thus far (which excludes this month's expected enrollment increase)..."  Click here to read more.  [Source: Connect Campaign]

Accountable Care Collaborative Survey

The Connect Campaign is interested to learn how much you know about the Accountable Care Collaborative.  Please share your thoughts by taking this brief survey!

Connect Campaign wants to hear from you!

ClinicNET continues to participate in the Connect Campaign, a collaboration of stakeholders working toward successful coverage and access to care for Colorado’s uninsured adults. We would like to be able to accurately represent your perspective and experiences relative to Medicaid's expansion to Adults without Dependent Children and Medicaid overall. Please take a minute to fill out this quick survey.

Connect Campaign January Meeting

"The Connect Summit in December was a great opportunity for all of us to begin putting our heads together on the work that needs to be done. To get more information what was shared in the Summit, as well as the responses we received from the participants, please click here...In the meantime, you're welcome to join us at our next monthly Connect meeting on January 28th from 1pm to 2:30pm. If you would like more details, please e-mail Aubrey."  [Source: Connect Campaign]

ClinicNET will be present at this meeting.  If you are unable to attend this meeting and would like to give some feedback please share it with us!

How has the AwDC rollout impacted your clinic and patients?

ClinicNET works to represent you by participating in various activities including conversations surrounding the Adults without Dependent Children Medicaid expansion as part of the Connect Campaign.  We need to hear your feedback, questions, stories, concerns, successes, etc. during this crucial phase in the AwDC expansion roll out.  Please contact Brooke (720.863.7800 ext. 103).

Nearing the Adult without Dependent Children (AwDC) Cap & Other Announcements

Click here to view the latest news from the Connect Campaign including information about:

• HCPF and the Department of Human Services two-day regional conferences at 7 locations around the state.
• iFoster is offering low-cost refurbished computers and laptops to nonprofits who work with low-income families.

ClinicNET affiliates please let us know about your/your patients experiences with AwDC!

Webinar: Resources for Low-Income Adults

The application period opens for low-income adults without dependent children on April 1. HCPF has set up regional meetings and webinars to inform people about the expansions and PEAK. If you've missed them, you can find all materials here.

To provide additional information on available resources that are outside the AwDC Medicaid program, the Connect Campaign is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, March 20th from 2:00-3:00pm.

This webinar is for those who will be interacting with people interested in applying for AwDC Medicaid, regardless of their eligibility. They will discuss resources outside the AwDC Medicaid expansion, including the health care safety net, the state's discount-care program (CICP), and other non-medical resources.

This information will help you assist your clients in taking advantage of the programs outside AwDC Medicaid. Click here to register.

Update on State Medicaid Expansion to Adults without Dependent Children

The Colorado Dept. of Health Care Policy & Financing has made decisions regarding expanding Medicaid coverage to adults without dependent children (AwDC), including when and how the expansion will begin and who will be eligible in the first phase. Please click here to read the update provided by The Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved's Connect Campaign. ClinicNET participates in the Connect Campaign and other efforts to educate and help inform policy decisions. We would love to hear your concerns about the expansion and ideas for how the expansion can best move forward. Please email Brooke Powers at brooke.powers@clinicnet.org with your thoughts.

More than 150,000 New Adults to Qualify for Medicaid in 2012 - Are You Prepared?

In 2012, Colorado will be offering Medicaid for adults without dependent children, who have been categorically ineligible for the program in the past. According to the Colorado Health Institute, 157,805 Colorado adults without dependent children with incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level are currently uninsured and are likely to be eligible for this program.

Thanks to great foresight on the part of our legislature, an historic expansion will occur in the state’s Medicaid program to provide coverage for this population with funding from a hospital provider fee and federal matching dollars. When it is fully implemented, it will cover uninsured adults without dependents between 19 and 65 years of age with incomes of up to $900 a month (for a single adult).

In the interest of ensuring this expansion’s success, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved has established the Connect to Coverage, Connect to Care Campaign. The Connect Campaign is a group of stakeholder organizations working together to support the expansion as the state works to develop and implement it, and ClinicNET has been playing an active role in this group. The Connect Campaign is following the state’s progress to ensure effective decision-making. When the program goes live, we know we are successful when we see fully functioning systems, effective community outreach efforts, and ready and accepting care providers.

Safety net providers have been a great source of care for this population already, and will likely continue to be, albeit with a different payer source. There may also be some new patients who have never had a continuous source of care before, and may identify a local safety net clinic as such once they gain coverage.

Since we know that this expansion will be happening at some point in the next year, clinics should begin preparations for enrolling current patients who will become newly eligible for Medicaid as well as prepare for the possible influx of new patients. The latter could range from planning to hire new staff or collaborating with other resources in the region to distribute the burden.

By contributing our resources and knowledge ahead of the expansion implementation, we can ensure the successful connection to coverage and care for a good portion of Colorado’s uninsured population.

If you would like to follow the Connect Campaign more closely, you can check out its website, or get on the e-mail distribution list by e-mailing Aubrey Hill. You can also contact her if you have any other questions about the Connect Campaign.