Since 2013, Navigators have helped individuals understand their health insurance options and facilitated their enrollment in health insurance through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM). As trusted community partners, their mission focuses on assisting the uninsured and other underserved communities. Navigators serve an important role in connecting communities that historically have experienced lower access to health coverage and greater disparities in health outcomes to health coverage. In August 2021, the federal government announced a significant increase in funding for the navigator program, including more than $5 million per year for three years to organizations in North Carolina. This will lead to greater nonprofit assistance and the creation of new enrollment models. A better understanding of the effectiveness and benefits of in-person assistance could prove helpful for sustainability and improving enrollment efforts.

To meet this goal, the Trust will support an analysis of nonprofit, in-person assistance to gain more information on its reach and efficacy. This may include data collection, interviews with consumers and stakeholders, survey research, or other quantitative and qualitative approaches. Applicants should be able to explain and disseminate information in ways that are digestible to a general audience.