Navigators, counselors supplying answers
Nothing was going to squelch Kyle Rouse's enthusiasm. Not even the Healthcare.gov website's clogged Internet arteries could suppress the newly minted navigator's energy.
Nothing was going to squelch Kyle Rouse's enthusiasm.
Not even the Healthcare.gov website's clogged Internet arteries could suppress the newly minted navigator's energy.
"I really believe in the work that is being done," said Rouse, 25. "Could you imagine being on the front line of the Medicare/Medicaid rollout and helping people get the health insurance they need? I can tell my kids and grandkids that I was there when Obamacare rolled out."
Of course, he said, by then his children and grandchildren probably won't believe that there was a time when some people in America didn't have health insurance.
"And they won't call it Obamacare," said Rouse, who works for the Health Federation of Philadelphia, which oversees clinics. "It will be called the Affordable Care Act."
Rouse and many other navigators and certified application counselors across the Delaware Valley and the nation spent most of last week's rollout of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces talking to people but not enrolling many.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversee the marketplaces, announced that 2.8 million people accessed the site on Tuesday, the first day health plans were available to buy.
How many people actually enrolled in plans was not announced.
But it wouldn't surprise many people if the numbers were low.
"There is time, since very few people will want to pay now, meaning it will be mostly shopping in October," said Joel Ario, a managing director at Manatt Health Care Solutions and a former Pennsylvania insurance commissioner. "That the traffic to websites is surprisingly high is a very good thing. But the glitches also are an issue, partly because of volume, and need to be ironed out since online functionality is critical."
Kate Kozeniewski, program coordinator with the Philadelphia-based Resources for Human Development (RHD), also wouldn't be shocked if enrollment was low.
"I think a lot of people don't 100 percent understand how the marketplace works or how it applies to them," said Kozeniewski, who is also a certified navigator for the nonprofit, which is Pennsylvania's largest navigator grantee. "People know that something is going on but they don't know many details."
RHD has been fielding calls and e-mails about eligibility, cost, and the benefits included in each plan.
One thing that did catch Kozeniewski by surprise was the number of calls RHD has received from younger, disabled people about Medicare. People who are under 65 and disabled are entitled to receive Medicare. But it takes 21/2 years after approval before insurance kicks in, she said.
"Those folks who worked before [becoming disabled] and had a decent work history are over the limit to be able to hit the income qualifications for Medicaid," Kozeniewski said. "Those are folks who are going to be eligible" to buy health insurance on the marketplace.
People have been coming into the Maria de los Santos Health Center at 401 W. Allegheny in North Philadelphia for over a month to ask about insurance. They are mostly focused on cost.
"A lot of questions are about what do plans offer," said Alex Rodriguez, a certified application counselor working with the Delaware Valley Community Health Inc. which runs the Santos center. A certified application counselor is a rung below navigator. "I explain to them that they may qualify for government assistance and give them the rundown on the 10 essentials that every plan must have."
To date Rodriguez has spoken with more than 30 people, most of whom are not center patients.
"The word gets out real quickly in the community," Rodriguez said. "To some degree, all the people that I have seen have had some education" on the law. "The biggest misconception is that insurance kicks in right away."
It doesn't start until Jan. 1, and only if you sign up by Dec. 15.
Rodriguez credits the local Spanish channel for telling people about the marketplace opening.
And even the slow website hasn't dimmed interest. "I was really busy today and yesterday," he said. "There has been an influx of people and the patients don't see the system as slow. They see it as a lot of people [using it] and they understand. They have a very positive attitude."
How to Get Help
Federal consumer hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or healthcare.gov
Resources for Human Development is running the federal navigator program in Southeastern Pennsylvania: 855-668-9536.
The Health Federation of Philadelphia oversees a network of community health centers in the region and is helping people sign up: 215-567-8001
The Philadelphia Public Health Department also is helping: 215-686-5200
New Jersey
Center for Family Services covers seven counties, including Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester. 1-877-ACCESS (1-877-922-2377) or www.centerffs.org
Many hospitals and chain pharmacies are also helping to enroll people.
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