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Effective Date:

Approval Date:

Updated and amended effective August 24, 2001

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Section 5. Outreach (Section 2102(c))

Describe the procedures used by the state to accomplish:

Outreach to families of children likely to be eligible for child health assistance or other public or private health coverage to inform them of the availability of the programs, and to assist them in enrolling their children in such a program: (Section 2102(c)(1)) (42CFR 457.90)

The Commonwealth is committed to providing access to quality health care coverage and to improving access to coverage. The achieve this goal, the Commonwealth brought together a unique interagency consortium dedicated to increasing public awareness of and enrollment in both CHIP and Medicaid. Senior Management staff and others in the Departments of Insurance, Public Welfare, Health and Education meet regularly to do strategic planning, to monitor progress, and to problem solve. In addition to time and effort, three of these agencies have also jointly committed funding to a multi-media and multi- faceted public awareness campaign for CHIP, Medicaid and Maternal and Child Health services. This unique consortium has been cited by the Health Care Financing Administration as a best practice to be emulated by other states.

The agenda for increasing awareness and enrollment includes but is not limited to:

• Broad based marketing strategies using television, Internet and radio advertising to increase public awareness of the program and to encourage families to enroll their children. • Targeted marketing to special populations to address cultural diversity and barriers to participation. • Strong relationships with other public and private agencies to promote outreach and enrollment activities. • Utilizing (e.g. on-line application) technology to create optional methodologies for enrollment in CHIP. • Establishing a single statewide toll-free number (1-800-986-KIDS) to provide access to helpline staff who inform, refer and assist in applying for CHIP and Medicaid, the Special Kids Network and other public programs (e.g. WIC). • Increasing access to coverage by improving eligibility and enrollment practices. • Conducting market research to improve targeted marketing and outreach. • Measuring the effectiveness of all efforts by gathering and analyzing available data.