Imagine One 85 partners with ASPIN to connect residents to health options

The Imagine One 85 initiative has recently partnered with the Affiliated Service Providers of Indiana in order to connect Wabash County residents without health insurance to information and assistance in applying for available health insurance options.

This partnership comes from the Imagine One 85 implementation plan as a result of 6.8 percent of the County's population age 19 and over not having reliable health insurance. By bringing awareness to Wabash County residents about this opportunity, this program will decrease the portion of the population without health insurance coverage and create a healthier community.

ASPIN is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit behavioral health provider and education network. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded ASPIN funding to provide Navigator services throughout Indiana. ASPIN Health Navigators are trained and certified by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Indiana Department of Insurance annually to assist Hoosiers in all 92 counties with Medicaid, Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Federal Marketplace plans. All Navigator services are free! Appointments are available in-person, by phone, Zoom, or Teams to help you identify and enroll in a plan that best fits your needs.

With the most recent federal spending bill ending Medicaid coverage protections, which means Indiana Medicaid will return to normal operations, ASPIN Navigators are available to help consumers that receive correspondence about eligibility redetermination actions. Redetermination actions will begin in April 2023, with a 12-month plan to return to normal operations. Many of these redeterminations are done automatically based on information the state has available. In some situations, the state of Indiana will need to ask the member for information about themselves and their family, such as current address, employment status and income, age and family size.

"We are excited to partner with ASPIN's team of experienced Health Navigators on this initiative in the Imagine One 85 plan. The vision has been set for the future of Wabash County and it is partnerships with industry experts like these that will continue to move our community forward. The health care system and insurance process can be complicated, and we urge residents to take advantage of this consultation opportunity with ASPIN to provide an unbiased understanding of what options are out there. By ASPIN being a federally funded non-profit, this opportunity to meet with a Navigator to discuss insurance options through the Marketplace is available at no cost to consumers. This opportunity will allow uninsured Wabash County residents to identify the most affordable health insurance options that meet their needs and create a healthier community," Alex Downard, director of Imagine One 85 said.

If a consumers loses Medicaid, HIP or CHIP because of income, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for qualified individuals and their families due to the end of the "continuous enrollment condition" – also known as "unwinding." This SEP, referred to as the "Unwinding SEP," will allow individuals and families in Indiana who are impacted by unwinding, to enroll in Marketplace coverage. CMS will update Marketplace enrollment platforms (HealthCare.gov and Direct Enrollment/Enhanced Direct Enrollment pathways) so that Marketplace-eligible consumers who submit a new application or update an existing application between March 31, 2023 – July 31, 2024 and attest that they have lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage at any point during this time period are eligible for this Unwinding SEP. Consumers who are eligible for the Unwinding SEP will have 60 days after they submit or update their application to select a plan with coverage that starts the first day of the month after they select a plan. As a reminder, thousands of consumers may soon be eligible for Marketplace coverage, and ASPIN Health Navigators are ready to assist them. Many consumers who lose Medicaid coverage will be directed to apply for coverage through the Marketplace.

If you have questions or would like to request an appointment with an ASPIN Health Navigator, call 877-313-7215, text ASPINNAV to 844-675-0617, or online at www.aspinhealthnavigator.org