With the goal of addressing barriers to insurance enrollment faced by uninsured New Yorkers across the state, the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) partnered with the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York three years ago to create a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) to design and implement outreach strategies to effectively reach the uninsured in their regions. The pilot program demonstrates “proof of concept” that dedicating funding for locally-based marketing and tailored outreach methods yields significant enrollment gains amongst previously difficult to reach populations.
The ”Reaching the Five Percent (R5)” program, based on a report of the same name published by the Health Foundation in 2019, focused on uninsured individuals in 16 counties of Central and Western New York who were eligible for affordable health coverage but had not yet enrolled. Between 2021 and 2023, state-funded CBOs in the network leveraged their familiarity with populations in their areas to successfully connect individuals to local enrollers. The program, which was meant to complement a broadly targeted marketing campaign by the New York State of Health Marketplace, allowed participating CBOs flexibility in their approach to reaching potential clients not typically permitted under New York State Navigator and enrollment program grants. The R5 outreach effort uses targeted messages that were specifically designed to reach groups that have been historically marginalized, such as lower-income individuals, young people, and people of color.
In this report, How to Maximize Health Insurance Enrollment: Funding Local Marketing and Outreach Innovations by Community-Based Enrollment Agencies, CSS analyzed outcomes from the pilot and the strategies deployed under the R5 model for application in other parts of the state. The results were impressive considering that the program operated during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency when opportunities for in-person outreach were limited.
The report, co-authored by Matt Flynn, Director of Health Insurance Enrollment Programs, Sara Santini, Program Manager for Community Health Advocates, Mia Wagner, Health Policy Manager, and Elisabeth Benjamin, Vice President of Health Initiatives, discussed the following findings:
- Local marketing and outreach efforts engaged New Yorkers nine million times;
- More than 7,000 consumers were enrolled in health insurance coverage under the initiative; and
- The strategy generated $9.73 in health care savings for every $1 dollar invested, a 973 percent return on investment.
Given the success of the R5 program, state policymakers should consider supporting dedicated funding streams for local outreach because it permits agencies to create campaigns that are community-tailored and locally responsive, leading to higher enrollment numbers of consumers who have been historically harder to reach.
Contact: Kerry Jones Waring at 716.852.3030.