“This is an opportunity to use tools that not only augment your workforce but can efficiently and effectively get eligible people renewed on Medicaid,” said Perla Ni, founder of CommunityConnect Labs. As states head towards what some call the “Medicaid cliff”, experts from Granicus and CommunityConnect Labs spoke in March 2023 on the webinar “Expert Strategies to Leverage Technology & Data for Medicaid Unwinding.”
3 Take-Aways for Medicaid unwinding:
1. Governments can augment their workforce with digital tools. States are using web-based virtual assistant Chatbots and two-way SMS platforms to screen for eligibility, answer questions and route people to where they should go to get health insurance.
“At CCL we’ve seen chatbots that can handle 80% of questions and 20% of people who are in the gray areas who have more personal, specific questions should be referred to a human for a more personal touch. This allows your staff to address the more complicated and interesting cases without having to answer the same question over and over again,” said Perla Ni.
In many cases, a virtual assistant can be used to answer common questions and send SMS reminders at key moments during the redetermination process.
2. Text messages should be 2-way and available in multiple languages. Inorder to engage the underserved Medicaid population, providing information in multiple languages ensures that minorities are not overlooked. And unlike 1-way communications, 2-way communications where people can respond, ask a question, or get referred to a navigator is more culturally sensitive and respectful. It feels more like a conversation rather than an intrusive knocking on the door.
3. Route people effectively based on eligibility status. While some people may not be eligible for Medicaid any longer, it’s still important for the State to route those people to get marketplace insurance. Tools such as a digital screener can help to determine Medicaid eligibility and based on their eligibility provide options such as renewing online, getting transferred to a live agent or going to the marketplace. The data from these tools can be used by states to close the loop and ensure that people don’t have a gap in coverage.
The webinar and slides are both available.
Want to explore how a digital Medicaid eligibility and enrollment screening tool could save your staff time and energy? Talk with us.