New Haven Group Awarded $50,000 Grant to Amplify Voices of Newly-Insured Residents in Health Reform | Connecticut Health Foundation
Group to Examine the Real and Personal Impact of Medicaid Expansion and Launch of Access Health CT
HARTFORD – The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) Board of Directors awarded Christian Community Action (CCA) a one-year grant to engage newly-insured and uninsured consumers in creating a more responsive, consumer-focused health care system. CCA will collect the stories and experiences of those consumers who have not traditionally been involved in shaping health care decisions. CCA, in partnership with the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut and the Connecticut Alliance for Basic Human Needs, will work with the consumers to propose strategies to improve and ensure access, reduce disparities and inequities – ultimately to create an improved health care system.
For many residents, January 2014 will be the first time they are using the health care system in a meaningful way, and may not know how to navigate its complexities. By drawing on their experiences, CCA and its partners will be able to educate and mobilize these residents to advocate for themselves in the health care system.
“The story of how many people have enrolled through Access Health CT, the state’s insurance marketplace, has already been told. We want to go deeper and understand how consumers are experiencing the expansion of the health care system,” said Bonita Grubbs, executive director of CCA.
She continued, “With this grant, we can ensure that system design and adjustments reflect the voices of the consumers who have first-hand knowledge of what needs to change.”
CCA’s vision is to move the health care system to one that is person-centered and person-informed. Such a system prioritizes the person receiving care, and the provider shows respect, offers explanations and materials about conditions and treatment that the person receiving care can easily understand. Most importantly, the provider will treat each person the same, regardless of that person’s income, race, or type of health insurance, be it public or private.
To achieve that vision, CCA and its partners’ work will result in policy advocacy and legislative education efforts, including a capstone forum where they will share with policymakers the stories, results from the outreach and engagement, as well as the recommendations for making adjustments to better meet consumer needs.
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