Sixteen community health centers in Wisconsin will receive a total of $1.8 million to help enroll people in the Affordable Care Act’s new coverage options.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $150 million in grant awards to 1,159 health centers in all 50 states to enroll uninsured Americans in the ACA’s new health coverage options.
Wisconsin has 16 health centers with 90 sites that served 299,068 patients last year, 25.13 percent of them uninsured. The HHS information states that with the Outreach and Enrollment funding, the 16 health centers expect to hire 40 additional workers, who will assist 26,474 people with enrollment.
Of the 16 community health centers in Wisconsin receiving funds, four are in the city of Milwaukee: 16th Street Community Health Center Inc. ($159,419); Milwaukee Health Services Inc. ($117,014); Outreach Community Health Centers Inc. ($171,981); and Progressive Community Health Centers Inc. ($76,149).
Other area health centers receiving funds include: Beloit-based Community Health Systems Inc. ($104,606); Kenosha Community Health Center Inc. ($104,419); and Sheboygan Area Community Clinics Inc. ($62,234).
The grant awards are being issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Sebelius said, “Investing in health centers means that people in neighborhoods and towns across the country have one more resource to help them understand their insurance options and enroll in affordable coverage.”
The announcement is part of the administration’s broader effort to make applying for health coverage as easy as possible. The new, consumer-focused HealthCare.gov website and the 24-hour-a-day consumer call center help Americans prepare for open enrollment and ultimately sign up for health coverage. These new tools will help Americans understand their coverage options and select the plan that best suits their needs when open enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace begins Oct. 1.
“Health centers are excited to help individuals in their communities take advantage of the benefits of new health insurance coverage options that start January 2014,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D, R.N. “Having trained, face-to-face assistance in enrollment from trusted resources at local health centers means that more people will get the help they need.”
