Health Equity

Connecticut Association of Human Services

2012 - $25,000

According to the 2009 Connecticut Health Disparities report, Latino residents are 5.4 times more likely to be uninsured than white residents, African American residents 2.7 times more. Benefit programs exist for low-income members of these groups, but the enrollment process for state-funded benefits is slow, cumbersome and understaffed at the state end. These shortcomings have real effects on health access disparities. 6 month grant.

This grant will support planning meetings, software updates, capacity building, and training related to connecting to the health care exchange and Medicaid expansion. The Connecticut Association of Human Services proposes to ease the enrollment process through the expansion of their EarnBenefits Online program (EBO) to more of their partner organizations. By helping clients submit complete applications and understanding program requirements, outreach workers lower the entry barriers to apply for public services, increasing program participation up to 40 percent in some cases.