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Funding Area: Expanding Health Care Coverage

2014 NYHealth Enrollment and Outreach Grantees

With the advent of health reform, there is a high need for direct assistance and face-to-face support to help individuals complete health insurance enrollment applications.

To engage uninsured New Yorkers and help them enroll in coverage, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is funding community-based organizations that serve as trusted messengers to their communities for outreach and enrollment activities. Learn more about NYHealth’s range of outreach and enrollment efforts and watch firsthand video accounts from newly-insured New Yorkers who received enrollment assistance through the NYHealth-supported Enrollment Network.

 

2014 NYHealth Enrollment Network

NYHealth is funding a statewide enrollment network of community-based organizations that are in a position to reach populations known to be uninsured at disproportionately high rates and that are strong candidates for insurance enrollment. To date, NYHealth has awarded grants to the organizations listed below.

Capital District

  1. The Pride Center of the Capital Region
    Albany, NY
    518-462-6138
    www.capitalpridecenter.org
    Counties covered: Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady

Central New York

  1. ACR Health
    Syracuse, NY
    800-475-2430
    www.acrhealth.com
    Counties covered: Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Jefferson, Oswego
  2. PEACE, Inc.
    Syracuse, NY
    315-470-3300
    www.peace-caa.org
    Counties covered: Onondaga

Finger Lakes

  1. Action for a Better Community
    Rochester, NY
    585-325-7550 ext. 341
    www.abcinfo.org
    Counties covered: Monroe County
  2. Trillium Health
    Rochester, NY
    585-545-7200
    www.trilliumhealthny.org
    Counties covered: Monroe, Ontario, and Steuben counties

Hudson Valley

  1. Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc.
    Elmsford, NY
    914-592-5600
    www.westcop.org
    Counties covered: Westchester, Putnam, Rockland

Long Island

  1. Health and Welfare Council of Long Island
    Melville, NY
    516-483-1110
    www.hwcli.com
    Counties covered: Nassau, Suffolk
  2. Long Island GLBT Services Network
    Woodbury and Bay Shore, NY
    516-323-0011
    www.liglbtnetwork.org
    Counties covered: Nassau, Suffolk

New York City

  1. Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
    212-271-7200
    www.callen-lorde.org
    Boroughs covered: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens
  2. Center for Children’s Initiatives
    212-929-7604
    www.centerforchildrensinitiatives.org
    Boroughs covered: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island
  3. Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
    212-379-6988
    www.cbwchc.org
    Boroughs covered: Brooklyn, Manhattan
  4. Henry Street Settlement
    212-766-9200
    www.henrystreet.org
    Boroughs covered: Manhattan (Lower East Side/Chinatown)
  5. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
    212-744-5022
    www.lenoxhill.org
    Boroughs covered: Manhattan (East Harlem)
  6. Make the Road New York
    718-727-1222
    www.maketheroad.org
    Boroughs covered: Brooklyn, Queens
  7. Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York
    212-343-1771
    www.rocny.org
    Boroughs covered: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island
  8. Center for Frontline Retail
    646-490-5925
    www.facebook.com/FrontlineRetail
    Boroughs covered: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island
  9. Urban Health Plan *
    718-589-2440
    www.urbanhealthplan.org
    * Funding provided by the Altman Foundation
  10. South Asian Council for Social Services *
    718-321-7929
    www.sacssny.org
    * Funding provided by the New York Community Trust

Ambassadors for Coverage

NYHealth is supporting the Ambassadors for Coverage program through a grant to Empire Justice Center, which has selected 21 organizations to raise awareness about health insurance options in communities throughout New York State with high rates of uninsurance.

These Ambassadors conduct outreach, educate consumers about their options, encourage people to take the steps necessary to obtain health care coverage, and connect eligible New Yorkers to organizations that can help them enroll in an insurance plan.

Capital District

  1. Adirondack Health Institute
    Glens Falls, NY
    518-480-0111
    www.adirondackhealthinstitute.org
    Counties Covered: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren, Washington
  2. Centro Civico
    Amsterdam, NY
    518-842-3762
    www.centrocivico.org
    Counties covered: Montgomery, Fulton, Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rennselaer

Central New York

  1. Alternatives Impact
    Ithaca, NY
    607-273-4611
    www.alternatives.org/impact.html‎
    Counties covered: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins
  2. Child Care Solutions
    Syracuse and Auburn, NY
    315-446-1220 (Syracuse), 315-446-1220 ext. 0 (Auburn)
    www.childcaresyracuse.org
    Counties covered: Onondaga, Cayuga
  3. Cortland County Community Action Program
    Cortland, NY
    607-753-6781
    www.capco.org
    Counties covered: Cortland

Finger Lakes

  1. Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Rochester
    Rochester, NY
    585-546-3440
    www.cccsofrochester.org
    Counties Covered: Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne
  2. Mental Health Association
    Rochester, NY
    585-325-3145
    www.mharochester.org
    Counties covered: Livingston, Monroe, Wyoming
  3. St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center
    Rochester, NY
    585-325-5260
    www.sjncenter.org
    Counties covered: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates

Hudson Valley

  1. Child Care Resources of Rockland
    Spring Valley, NY
    845-425-0009
    www.childcarerockland.org
    Counties covered: Rockland
  2. Sister to Sister International
    Yonkers, NY
    914-207-0368
    www.s2si.org
    Counties covered: Westchester
  3. Ulster County Community Action
    Kingston, NY
    845-338-8750
    www.uccac.org
    Counties covered: Ulster
  4. North East Community Center
    Millerton, NY
    518-789-4259
    www.neccmillerton.org
    Counties covered: Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Hudson Valley

Long Island

  1. Planned Parenthood of Nassau County
    Hempstead, NY
    516-750-2500
    www.plannedparenthood.org/nassau-county
    Counties covered: Nassau
  2. Healthy Latino Communities
    Roslyn Heights, NY
    347-752-0852
    www.helaco.org
    Counties covered: Nassau, Suffolk

New York City

  1. Brooklyn Queens Long Island Area Health Education Center
    Brooklyn, NY
    718-797-1558
    www.bqliahec.org
    Counties covered: Kings (Brooklyn)
  2. Long Island GLBT Services Network
    Woodbury, NY
    516-323-0011
    www.liglbtnetwork.org
    Counties Covered: Queens
  3. New York Communities Organizing Fund
    Brooklyn, NY
    nycofi.nationbuilder.com
    347-756-4949
    Counties covered: Kings (Brooklyn)

Western New York

  1. Cornell University Cooperative Extension Chautauqua County
    Jamestown, NY
    716-664-9502
    chautauquacce.shutterfly.com
    Counties covered: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua
  2. Buffalo Urban League
    Buffalo, NY
    716-250-2400
    www.buffalourbanleague.org
    Counties covered: Erie
  3. Community Access Services of WNY, Inc.
    Buffalo, NY
    716-852-5969
    www.caswny.org
    Counties covered: Erie

Small Business Assistance Program 

Since 2014, small businesses have been able to purchase insurance through the SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program) Exchange, which provides a menu of affordable, pre-screened insurance options to meet organizations’ and workers’ needs. With support from NYHealth, the Community Service Society expanded its Small Business Assistance Program, a network of organizations across New York State that helped small businesses get affordable health insurance and understand their options under the Affordable Care Act. These organizations provide education and assistance on topics such as the availability of tax credits for small businesses and options for health insurance for small businesses and their employees.

Capital District

  1. Guilderland Chamber of Commerce
    Guilderland, NY
    518-456-6611
    www.guilderlandchamber.com
    Counties covered: Albany
  2. Small Business Development Center at University at Albany
    Albany, NY
    518-380-5077
    www.albany.edu
    Counties covered: Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Washington, Hamilton, Greene, Columbia, Montgomery

Central New York

  1. Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Rensselaer County
    Troy, NY
    518-272-4210
    www.cornell.edu
    Counties covered: Albany, Capital District, Columbia, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Washington, Warren

Hudson Valley

  1. Business Council of Westchester
    White Plains, NY
    914-948-2110 ext. 311
    www.westchesterny.org
    Counties covered: Westchester

Long Island

  1. Community Development Corporation of Long Island
    Centereach, NY
    631-471-1215
    www.cdcli.org
    Counties covered: Nassau, Suffolk

New York City

  1. Actors Fund
    New York, NY
    917-281-5965
    www.actorsfund.org
    Counties covered: Albany, Buffalo, Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk
  2. CAMBA
    Brooklyn, NY
    718-282-2500
    www.camba.org
    Counties covered: Bronx
  3. Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
    New York, NY
    212-473-7875
    www.manhattancc.org
    Counties covered: Manhattan
  4. Small Business Development Center at LaGuardia Community College
    Queens, NY
    718-482-5493
    laguardia.edu/Businesses/Small-Business-Assistance
    Counties covered: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, Manhattan, Queens (focus on Long Island City), Richmond, Suffolk

North Country

  1. Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce
    Watertown, NY
    315-788-4400
    www.watertownny.com
    Counties covered: Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence

Western New York/Southern Tier

  1. Greater Olean Chamber of Commerce
    Olean, NY
    716-372-4433
    www.oleanny.com
    Counties covered: portions of Cattaraugus, Allegany, Chautauqua (towns of Allegany, Hinsdale, Olean, Portville)
  2. Rochester Business Alliance
    Rochester, NY
    585-244-1800
    www.rochesterbusinessalliance.com
    Counties covered: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates
  3. S2AY Rural Health Network
    Steuben, NY
    607-962-8459
    www.s2aynetwork.org
    Counties covered: Allegany, Steuben, Yates, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Wayne
  4. Small Business Development Center at Binghamton University
    Binghamton, NY
    607-777-4024
    www.binghamton.edu/SBDC
    Counties covered: Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins
  5. Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College
    Jamestown, NY
    716-338-1024
    www.suny.jcc.edu
    Counties covered: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Wyoming

 

Actors’ Fund of America, dba The Actors’ Fund

More than 1 million individuals have enrolled in public and private coverage through the NY State of Health Marketplace.

Consumer assistance has played a critical role in helping previously uninsured individuals understand their health insurance options and apply for coverage—in New York alone, fully half of all those who enrolled in coverage relied on in-person assistance. Significant work remains, however, to eliminate barriers to coverage for more than 1 million New Yorkers who remain uninsured and to help those who did enroll renew their coverage. To complement the State’s efforts to engage and enroll uninsured residents, NYHealth launched in 2014 a statewide enrollment network of community-based organizations to conduct education, outreach, enrollment, and referrals. These organizations directly reach populations known to be uninsured at disproportionately high rates: low-wage workers; immigrants; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender New Yorkers. NYHealth awarded The Actors’ Fund a grant to continue these efforts in 2015.

With NYHealth funding, grantees of this initiative undertook a comprehensive range of consumer engagement activities and enrolled uninsured New Yorkers into coverage. Specifically, The Actors’ Fund helped arts and entertainment professionals secure affordable health insurance and helped reduce the number of uninsured artists in New York City. It worked with entertainment unions, arts councils, and membership associations to schedule educational workshops and seminars for their members and constituents about health insurance options through the NY State of Health Marketplace. It used media campaigns to spread awareness about its free enrollment services and refer arts professionals to further educational tools and information.

2015 NYHealth Enrollment and Outreach Grantees

With the advent of health reform, there is a high need for direct assistance and face-to-face support to help individuals complete health insurance enrollment applications. To engage uninsured New Yorkers and help them enroll in coverage, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is funding community-based organizations that serve as trusted messengers to their communities for outreach and enrollment activities.

Watch  firsthand video accounts from newly insured New Yorkers who received enrollment assistance through the NYHealth-supported Enrollment Network. Read a report that highlights the lessons learned through the Enrollment Network’s outreach and education efforts in its first two years of operation.

Need help finding the right health insurance? Scroll down to find help near you and learn more about our enrollment network.

 

2015 NYHealth Enrollment Network :

NYHealth is funding a statewide enrollment network of community-based organizations that are in a position to reach populations known to be uninsured at disproportionately high rates and that are strong candidates for insurance enrollment. NYHealth has awarded grants for 2015 to the organizations listed below.

ACR Health
800-475-2430
www.acrhealth.com

Actors’ Fund
917-281-5965
www.actorsfund.org

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
212-271-7200
www.callen-lorde.org

Center for Frontline Retail
646-490-5925
www.facebook.com/FrontlineRetail

Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
212-379-6988
www.cbwchc.org

Health and Welfare Council of Long Island
516-483-1110
www.hwcli.com

Henry Street Settlement
212-766-9200
www.henrystreet.org

Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
718-939-6137
www.kcsny.org

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
212-744-5022
www.lenoxhill.org

The LGBT Network (formerly the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, Inc.)
516-323-0011
www.lgbtnetwork.org

Make the Road New York
718-727-1222
www.maketheroad.org

South Asian Council for Social Services *
718-321-7929
www.sacssny.org
* Funding provided in part by the New York Community Trust

Trillium Health
585-545-7200
www.trilliumhealthny.org

Urban Health Plan *
718-589-2440
www.urbanhealthplan.org
* Funding provided in part by the Altman Foundation

Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc.
914-592-5600
www.westcop.org

 

Ambassadors for Coverage:

NYHealth is supporting the Ambassadors for Coverage program through grants to Empire Justice Center, which in 2013 selected 21 organizations to raise awareness about health insurance options in communities throughout New York State with high rates of uninsurance.

These Ambassadors conduct outreach, educate consumers about their options, encourage people to take the steps necessary to obtain health care coverage, and connect eligible New Yorkers to organizations that can help them enroll in an insurance plan.

To continue these efforts, NYHealth awarded EJC a second grant in 2014 to fund 20 organizations to serve as Ambassadors. In 2015, NYHealth awarded Empire Justice Center a renewal grant to target populations that have been left out of previous enrollment efforts.

Capital District

Adirondack Health Institute
Glens Falls, NY
518-480-0111
www.adirondackhealthinstitute.org
Counties Covered: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren, Washington

Centro Civico
Amsterdam, NY
518-842-3762
www.centrocivico.org
Counties covered: Montgomery, Fulton, Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rennselaer

Central New York

Alternatives Impact
Ithaca, NY
607-273-4611
www.alternatives.org/impact.html‎
Counties covered: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins

Child Care Solutions
Syracuse and Auburn, NY
315-446-1220 (Syracuse), 315-446-1220 ext. 0 (Auburn)
www.childcaresyracuse.org
Counties covered: Onondaga, Cayuga

Cortland County Community Action Program
Cortland, NY
607-753-6781
www.capco.org
Counties covered: Cortland

Finger Lakes

Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Rochester
Rochester, NY
585-546-3440
www.cccsofrochester.org
Counties Covered: Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne

Mental Health Association
Rochester, NY
585-325-3145
www.mharochester.org
Counties covered: Livingston, Monroe, Wyoming

St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center
Rochester, NY
585-325-5260
www.sjncenter.org
Counties covered: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates

Hudson Valley

Child Care Resources of Rockland
Spring Valley, NY
845-425-0009
www.childcarerockland.org
Counties covered: Rockland

Sister to Sister International
Yonkers, NY
914-207-0368
www.s2si.org
Counties covered: Westchester

Ulster County Community Action
Kingston, NY
845-338-8750
www.uccac.org
Counties covered: Ulster

North East Community Center
Millerton, NY
518-789-4259
www.neccmillerton.org
Counties covered: Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Hudson Valley

Long Island

Planned Parenthood of Nassau County
Hempstead, NY
516-750-2500
www.plannedparenthood.org/nassau-county
Counties covered: Nassau

Healthy Latino Communities
Roslyn Heights, NY
347-752-0852
www.helaco.org
Counties covered: Nassau, Suffolk

New York City

Brooklyn Queens Long Island Area Health Education Center
Brooklyn, NY
718-797-1558
www.bqliahec.org
Counties covered: Kings (Brooklyn)

The LGBT Network (formerly the Long Island GLBT Services Network)
Woodbury, NY
516-323-0011
www.lgbtnetwork.org
Counties Covered: Queens

New York Communities Organizing Fund
Brooklyn, NY
nycofi.nationbuilder.com
347-756-4949
Counties covered: Kings (Brooklyn)

Western New York

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Chautauqua County
Jamestown, NY
716-664-9502
chautauquacce.shutterfly.com
Counties covered: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua

Buffalo Urban League
Buffalo, NY
716-250-2400
www.buffalourbanleague.org
Counties covered: Erie

Community Access Services of WNY, Inc.
Buffalo, NY
716-852-5969
www.caswny.org
Counties covered: Erie

New York Health Purchasing Alliance, Inc., d/b/a HealthPass

HealthPass is a nonprofit initiative that offers an array of insurance plans to small businesses.

With a planning grant from the New York Health Foundation’s “Expanding Coverage Options in the Small Group and Individual Market in New York State” program, HealthPass analyzed the feasibility of adding Healthy NY, a State-sponsored insurance plan that offers coverage to businesses with 50 or fewer employees, sole proprietors, and individuals, to the HealthPass menu of insurance plans. For those who met the income-based eligibility criteria, the State subsidized benefits, allowing Healthy NY to offer premiums at a lower cost. HealthPass believed that if Healthy NY could be brought into HealthPass, more small businesses would provide coverage to their low-income workers.

This grant was one of five organizations that received a planning grant from the 2008 NYHealth request for proposals (RFP), “Expanding Coverage Options in the Small Group and Individual Market in New York State.” The RFP grew directly out of the Foundation’s desire to generate ideas for expanding health insurance options for small businesses and sole proprietors.

Read an NYHealth special report that contains a summary of findings from this RFP.

Half of New York State’s uninsured workers work in businesses with fewer than 25 employees or are self-employed. Small businesses pay more for health insurance premiums, and their costs have grown faster than for other categories of employers by size. With a planning grant from the New York Health Foundation’s “Expanding Coverage Options in the Small Group and Individual Market in New York State” program, HealthPass, a nonprofit initiative that offers an array of insurance plans to small businesses, will analyze the feasibility of adding Healthy NY, a State-sponsored insurance plan that offers coverage to businesses with 50 or fewer employees, to its menu of insurance plans with the hope that more small businesses will provide coverage to their low-income workers.

Through this project, HealthPass will: 1) expand the options for small businesses who qualify for the Healthy NY program; 2) ease administrative complexities of offering a Healthy NY option under one unified program; 3) leverage the Healthy NY subsidies through wider distribution of the products; 4) encourage brokers to present the Healthy NY products to small businesses interested in HealthPass; and 5) expand upon the successes of HealthPass in reaching the working uninsured.

St. Lawrence County Health Initiative and St. Lawrence County Public Health Department

The goal of this grant to the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative and the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department was to increase the number of small businesses that offer affordable health coverage and the number of residents enrolled in public and private insurance.

This project systematically identified uninsured residents at two points of contact—the health care system and worksites—and provided education and assistance to individuals who qualified for health coverage.

Covering 2,800 square miles of Northern New York, St. Lawrence County’s geographical spread often creates fragmentation of services and barriers for its businesses and residents to access and learn about available programs. The county ranks 60th out of 62 counties in lowest per capita income and has a higher prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and heart disease. A recent household survey revealed that 44% of working poor households in St. Lawrence County include at least one uninsured adult. This project will attempt to enroll more individuals in public health insurance programs for which they are eligible.

Working together, St. Lawrence County Health Initiative and St. Lawrence County Public Health Department will launch an initiative aimed at increasing coverage among St. Lawrence County uninsured residents. Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce, they will survey county businesses and provide informational outreach packets to those businesses not offering insurance, highlighting Family Health Plus and Healthy NY, along with private plans offered through the Chamber of Commerce and others. Working with the five hospitals in the county, the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative will provide assistance to uninsured patients in identifying and applying for public and private insurance programs for which they might be eligible. These efforts are expected to result in coverage for some 350 individuals.

Working Today, Inc. – Freelancers Union

An increasing number of American workers are employed in nontraditional arrangements as freelancers, independent contractors, or temporary workers.

These workers do not receive the work benefits customarily offered by employers, including health insurance. Most earn too much to qualify for public programs, but cannot afford the expensive premiums charged in individually purchased plans. With NYHealth’s support, Freelancers Union launched the Freelancers Insurance Company to make affordable health insurance available to New York City’s independent workers and also created a discount network with mental health providers, Freelancers Union Health Partners, in New York City. This initiative has shown that with collaboration, it’s possible for a nonprofit organization to launch an insurance company.

Because health plans on the individual market are prohibitively expensive, independent workers increasingly go without coverage, compromising both their health and financial stability. Working Today will continue to seek ways to offer affordable insurance coverage to independent workers.

Of the 2.2 million uninsured persons in New York State, more than 75% are working persons or family members of a working person. About half of uninsured persons in New York are either self-employed or working in a company that employs fewer than 25 people. The problem is particularly acute for low-income independent workers because health plans on the individual market are assigned the highest premiums and are prohibitively expensive for most of the independent workforce. Increasingly, low-wage workers are forced to go without health coverage—about half of the uninsured in New York are low-income workers (less than 200% of Federal Poverty Level).

In order to reach more uninsured independent workers and to have the flexibility to innovate health plan design, Working Today is taking advantage of funding from the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth), in addition to a number of other charitable organizations, to enhance its menu of health benefit offerings for the independent workforce. NYHealth’s funding will enable Working Today to offer more affordable health insurance coverage options to independent workers, many of whom lack alternatives. By providing coverage to the previously uninsured, Working Today will have an impact on not only the individuals and families now able to purchase insurance, but also the health insurance and health care industries. Working Today will also use these funds to experiment with the benefit design of its current offerings bringing consumer choice and well being to the center of plan design.

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