Application for Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in Federally-facilitated Exchanges for the State of Alabama - The proposed project is a cooperative agreement to engage with 22,000 Alabamians and assist over 1000 across the state annually in enrolling in a Qualified Health Plan through the Federally-facilitated Exchange, Medicaid, or CHIP. The Enroll Alabama Project, focusing specifically on low-income communities, rural communities, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations, has enrolled thousands of individuals in health insurance plans and has educated thousands of Alabamians on the Federally-facilitated Exchange. AIDS Alabama and its partners have been successful grantees since the Navigator Program began in 2013. AIDS Alabama has requested $15,000,000 in the upcoming 60-month grant period to continue this vital work, ensuring that everyone in Alabama is aware of their health care coverage options and can successfully enroll in a plan well-suited to their needs. This request will be divided evenly amongst each of the 12-month budget periods, with $3,000,000 requested for 2024-2025, $3,000,000 requested for 2025-2026, $3,000,000 for 2026-2027 $3,000,000 requested for 2027-2028, and $3,000,000 requested for 2028-2029. AIDS Alabama will partner with varied organizations including AIDS Alabama South, The Right Place, East Alabama Medical Center, United Way, Project Say Something, DCH Regional Medical Center, Five Horizons, West Alabama Women’s Center to provide general information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, CHIP, Ryan White, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, and other health care opportunities to communities throughout Alabama with a particular focus on underserved populations including LGBTQIA+, Black and Latinx individuals, Alabamians living in rural areas and those who are incarcerated or recently incarcerated. In total, AIDS Alabama will have 26 trained Navigators by October 1,2024. Navigators will conduct community-wide educational events and presentations in an effort to educate Alabamians on the Federally-facilitated Marketplace. Navigators will provide information in a manner free of bias and with the ability to reach those who speak languages other than English and those with disabilities, including those who are hearing-impaired, unable to see, or housebound. American Sign Language and Spanish translation services will be available, and other translation services are to be provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services via the hotline number. Navigators will maintain an expertise of eligibility, enrollment, and all program requirements for the duration of the project. We will achieve these through our new and existing partnerships with other community organizations, religious institutions, businesses and other employers, schools, colleges, and healthcare providers. We will also deploy focused online, social media, radio, and earned television advertising. Consumers will have the opportunity to schedule in-person appointments with Navigators online or by phone (by calling our 800 number or 211) and will also be able to receive enrollment assistance at regional enrollment events and home visits. Virtual and phone appointments will also be available for consumers. Through this project we will serve all 67 of Alabama’s counties, listed alphabetically below: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blunt, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, and Winston.
