Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in Federally-facilitated Exchanges - Organization name: Thrive Allen County Consortium name: Thrive Kansas CARES Sub-awardee organizations: Barber County United, Inc.; Be Able Inc.; Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas; El Centro, Inc.; Grow Clay County; Liberal Area Coalition for Families; and LiveWell Northwest Kansas Organization type: Community and consumer-focused nonprofit Annual funding amounts: Year 1—$2,180,303; Year 2—$2,322,837; Year 3—$2,400,362; Year 4—$2,481,762; Year 5—$2,567,233 FFE state and portion with alphabetized list of operating counties: Services will be provided in 45 counties throughout the state of Kansas FFE in Allen, Anderson, Barber, Bourbon, Butler, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Finney, Ford, Geary, Gove, Greenwood, Harper, Haskell, Johnson, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Logan, Montgomery, Neosho, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Rawlins, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stevens, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, and Wyandotte. Proposed priority populations to serve: Racial and ethnic minorities; rural communities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other LGBTQ+ individuals; low-income or unhoused individuals; people with physical or intellectual disabilities; pregnant women, new mothers, and women with children; people with mental health or substance-related disorders; and Medicaid-eligible consumers who are not enrolled in coverage despite being eligible for Medicaid. Total number of Navigator staff consortium will have federally trained and certified or re-certified for PY 2025 by October 1, 2024: 23 Thrive Allen County (TAC) is the lead applicant for a consortium of seven sub-awardee organizations featuring 23 federally trained and certified Navigators who will assist priority populations and general consumers in 45 counties to access health insurance through Kansas’ Federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE). TAC is a current CMS Navigator awardee, and will use community partnerships, written materials, outreach, and in-person and virtual events to reach 2,500 uninsured Kansans with education on available coverage options and qualified health plans (QHP). Navigators will provide 1:1 enrollment assistance to 1,450 consumers in the service areas to facilitate the selection of a QHP, Medicaid, or CHIP (including re-enrollment) that is best suited for each consumer’s individual needs. TAC and its sub-awardees are trusted community partners that are familiar with the characteristics, needs, and barriers of the target population. Navigators are hired locally from the communities they serve to engender trust with the residents and because they are themselves reflective of the residents’ values, identities, and needs. Understanding the needs of priority populations and consumers guides outreach and communication methods to ensure cultural competence and linguistic appropriateness. This includes printed materials written at an appropriate grade level to overcome health literacy issues to increase understanding; printing materials in Spanish; having bi-lingual Navigators and/or translation services available; and using methods proven effective with priority populations. Additionally, all tools and venues used in the Navigator activities and for 1:1 enrollment assistance appointments will be accessible and usable by people with disabilities. During enrollment activities, Navigators will assist consumers in understanding their new coverage, how to effectively utilize it, how to access care, the basic concepts and rights related to health coverage, preventive medical services vs. acute care, and relevant terms like co-pays, deductibles, premiums, and out-of-pocket maximums. Navigators will provide services year-round including answering questions about coverage, providing referrals, resolving enrollment issues, assisting with complex cases, providing information on tax forms and appeals, and assisting with the grievance and appeals process.