Can private companies contribute to public programs' outreach efforts? Evidence from California.
We studied an innovative outreach effort in California, which trains and certifies community organizations to help complete Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) applications. In this paper we provide a detailed description of participating organizations, the populations they serve, and their success at turning submitted applications into enrollments. We found that insurance brokers and income tax preparers-for-profit groups that are not typically associated with outreach-make important contributions to Medicaid and SCHIP in California. Brokers, in particular, help serve a hard-to-reach population: those on the higher end of the income eligibility thresholds.
Jacobson
Mireille
M
School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. mireille@uci.edu
Buchmueller
Thomas C
TC
D000293:Adolescent; D000385:Aid to Families with Dependent Children / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D004608:Eligibility Determination; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D017149:Private Sector; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States