Humanizing the Enrollment Process

“Thank you for your help on Saturday - talking to a real person made a huge difference. The process can seem overwhelming, but you made it human.”

This was part of an email I received from a mother after helping her fill out a Medicaid application the week before. I helped this family, along with eight others, apply for health insurance coverage for their children during an all-day enrollment event on November 15th. Although Florida KidCare and Medicaid are open all year long, this was the first day of open enrollment for the national insurance marketplace. And boy, was it crazy.

Families were being shuttled between the marketplace Navigators and our KidCare team all day long. Between the four of us from THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health, we helped over 45 families apply for health coverage for their children. But out of all the families that sat in front of me that day, not a single one of them was a straightforward, cut and dry case. Many of them were self-employed, with a laundry list of incomes and expenses to be reported. I apologized profusely to several families I could not help because they had not been living in the United States long enough to receive benefits. However, quite a few of the families I did help were permanent residents (I now know just how beautiful, physically and metaphorically, green cards are). One application was for a grandmother who cried as she told me about adopting her orphaned granddaughter, and who called me an angel when I explained that the toddler automatically qualified for Medicaid as well as other state benefits.

Amongst all the semi-organized chaos, there were many moments when I wished I owned a magic wand that could instantly grant the people sitting before me access to affordable, quality health care. I often become frustrated when I think about the boundaries people face in even just applying for health insurance; it’s no wonder why so many qualified families remain uninsured! To fill out a Florida KidCare application, one needs access to a computer, the Internet, and a scanner, as well as paperwork that some families simply and justifiably cannot provide. Beyond these tangible resources, one also needs the ability to read and understand the application. And even for someone with all the proper resources and abilities, the process is sometimes just too confusing.

When I help these families, I ensure that their applications are filled out as accurately as possible, complete with all supporting documentation, and processed correctly by the receiving agency. However, the email quoted above made me realize that I am doing more than just providing these families with the physical resources the application process requires. I accompany them through the process, answer all their questions, and fulfill my promise to do everything I can to get their children health insurance. I become the friendly face they associate with the process, replacing the ornery voices of customer service agents they would probably otherwise talk to. Remarks like the one in the mother’s email not only encourage me to continue to dedicate myself to supporting these families, but also help me understand the value of humanizing the process.

This blog post was written by NFHC member Samantha (Sammi) Tyler.

Sammi serves at The PLAYERS Center for Child Health as a Community Health Educator.