Funding Continues Commitment to Affordable Care Act Outreach Efforts to Low-Income, Spanish-Speaking and Rural Residents
The Trust today announced more than $1.4 million in grant awards to support efforts to help educate North Carolinians about available health insurance options. Awarded to eight organizations, the grants will help groups reach out to low-income, Spanish-speaking, and rural North Carolinians, as well as support statewide collaborative efforts among organizations working to maximize the number of people who enroll for health coverage through the Marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act.
The $ 1.4 million in grants brings to $4.4 million the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust investment in helping North Carolinians identify and secure health insurance in the Marketplace, with the long-term goal of ensuring everyone can access affordable health care. Since 2013 when the Affordable Care Act was passed, the Trust has been the leading North Carolina funder in helping residents access new health insurance options.
“The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust is committed to improving health outcomes among financially disadvantaged populations in North Carolina,” said Allen Smart, interim president of the Winston-Salem-based Trust. “Our founder believed everyone deserved access to quality health care, and that means access to quality health insurance today. The Trust is investing in this work to sustain gains in providing health insurance since the Affordable Care Act went into effect and to help get more uninsured enrolled in health insurance. We also want to make sure that immigrants, rural residents and Spanish speakers have the same opportunities to learn about the new health benefits available to them as those in urban parts of our state.”
The funding comes as the organizations are gearing up for the third Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, which kicks off November 1. Trust funds support a number of activities including faith-based advocacy work around Medicaid expansion, education and enrollment activities in under-resourced rural areas of the state, and support for statewide coordination among organizations working to help people keep and find quality health insurance. As of June 2015, nearly 460,000 North Carolinians were enrolled in coverage through the Marketplace.
One of the grant awardees, Care Share Alliance, uses the funds to support NC Get Covered (NCGC), a non-partisan initiative committed to improving health outcomes in North Carolina through outreach, education and enrollment in the health insurance marketplace. NCGC said the funding will go a long way in helping more people enroll for coverage.
“NC Get Covered is grateful for the Trust’s sustained investment in the coalition’s work. This funding will allow NCGC to continue building the capacity of Latino community-based organizations to engage in ACA outreach and enrollment activities, enhance the knowledge and skills of in-person assisters through statewide trainings and regional networking opportunities, and bring together diverse organizations interested in or affected by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina,” said NC Get Covered Project Director Lee Dixon.
Enroll America, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to maximizing the number of Americans who enroll in and retain health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, is also thrilled to get funding from the Trust for a third consecutive year.
“We have seen firsthand how the Affordable Care Act is changing lives of North Carolinians as thousands get financial help to pay for health insurance,” said Sorien Schmidt, North Carolina State Director for Enroll America. “The grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust allows Enroll America staff to continue educating North Carolinians about their Marketplace options and to support enrollment assisters in their effort to help people select the best plan to meet their needs and fit their budgets. Our goal is to ensure that affordable health coverage becomes a way of life in the state.”
Below is the list of awardees:
Care Share Health Alliance, Enroll America, Health Care for All North Carolina, Healthnet Gaston, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, Nash Hospital, Inc, North Carolina Justice Center, Pisgah Legal Services