Foundation Communities Health Coverage: Education and Outreach for All - Foundation Communities (FC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas that provides affordable housing and free supportive services for underserved community members. As a community and consumer-focused nonprofit, and through our Prosper Health Coverage program, FC is the leading Navigator in the Austin region, serving residents in this capacity since 2021. We seek CMS funding for a 5-year cooperative agreement, in accordance with CMS-NAV-24-001, to continue and expand delivering Affordable Care Act (ACA) education, outreach and enrollment services for underserved and historically vulnerable populations in Central Texas. We request the following funding amounts for each program year: Year 1 (2024 – 2025): $2,461,348; Year 2 (2025 – 2026): $2,531,045; Year 3 (2026 – 2027): $2,602,792; Year 4 (2027 – 2028): $2,676,65; and, Year 5 (2028 – 2029): $2,752,683. Our enrollment, education, and outreach efforts will target underserved, vulnerable and general populations in the following twelve FFE counties: Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Gillespie, Hays, Llano, McLennan, Travis, and Williamson. Within these counties, we will continue focusing our efforts on the following fourteen priority populations: racial and ethnic minorities; non-English speaking populations; documented immigrants to the United States; rural communities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) individuals; low-income individuals and households and those who fall into Texas’ Medicaid Gap; low-income individuals undergoing cancer treatment; individuals experiencing homelessness; individuals leaving incarceration; young people between the ages of 18 and 26 without family coverage; international students with F or J Visa; pregnant women, new mothers, and women with children; individuals with mental health or substance-related disorders; and individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Continued Navigator funding will allow Foundation Communities’ PHC program to expand our outreach, education, and enrollment/post-enrollment services by funding our team of Navigators and support staff. Our team of active Navigator staff to be federally trained and certified/re-certified by October 1, 2024 is 27. Of these, 11 will be paid full-time/100% from Navigator grant funds and 16 will be paid part-time from Navigator funds. By October 31st 2024, we will have a total of 156 Navigators (including full-time, part-time, permanent and seasonal staff, as well as 100 volunteers) delivering services during the open enrollment (OE) period. After OE, from January 16, 2025 to the end of the budget period on August 26, 2025, 31 active Navigator staff will remain federally trained and certified/re-certified. Of these Navigators, 15 will be full-time at 100%, 9 part-time at 75%, 5 part-time at 70% and 2 part-time at 50%. To enhance our notable experience of assisting tens of thousands of people enroll in ACA Marketplace plans since our program inception and the ACA implementation, we aim to increase our geographic scope and depth of service by increasing staff to reach underserved populations, including counties outside of our primary work location. Staff will spread more awareness and education about the Marketplace, CHIP and Medicaid, as well as Medicaid unwinding and preventing and addressing enrollment fraud. During the first funding year, we aim to reach about 20,000 consumers through one-on-one educational and outreach interactions, and (re-)enroll 5,850 consumers in a QHP (Qualifying Healthcare Plan).
