California Tests First-In-Nation Web-Based System to Enroll Children in Public Health Insurance
Health-e-App to Help Improve Access to Health Care for State's Children
January 23, 2001
The nation's first effort to use the Internet to enroll low-income children and expectant mothers in public health insurance programs was announced today by a partnership of the California Health and Human Services Agency, the California HealthCare Foundation, the Medi-Cal Policy Institute, and San Diego County. Called Health-e-App, the Web-based application is currently being tested in San Diego County to enroll children in the state's Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs.
"Streamlining the enrollment process is one of the best ways to increase health coverage for children," said Grantland Johnson, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA). "Health-e-App provides a fast, secure, and more user-friendly experience for applicants. Families can get an immediate preliminary response as to which health insurance program their children will likely be enrolled," Johnson said.
The Health and Human Services Agency is a prime sponsor of the pilot project and oversees the administration of both the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs.
When fully implemented, Health-e-App will offer families the ability to apply for Healthy Families or Medi-Cal from anywhere they have access to the Internet, whether at home, in a library, at a school, or while visiting a community health clinic. Trained assisters will be available at some locations to help families with the online application.
Health-e-App is initially available in English, Spanish, and read-aloud text for the visually impaired. The easy-to-use program prompts applicants on the specific information needed and makes sure that essential information is not left out. Families receive immediate, online feedback about their eligibility and the complete application is submitted electronically to the state, including an electronic signature. Applicants can also select physicians and health plans online based on criteria important to them, such as language, medical specialty, and how far they are able to travel to see a doctor.
Health-e-App is being pilot tested in low-income and underserved areas in San Diego County, including three clinics in the Logan Heights region, a public elementary school, a church, and at several Women's, Infant and Children (WIC) offices. San Diego County is home to an estimated 100,000 children who are eligible for, but not currently enrolled in Medi-Cal and the Healthy Families Children's Health Insurance Program.
Statewide an estimated 2 million children are uninsured. Together, Healthy Families and Medi-Cal have the potential to cover 75 percent of California's uninsured children under age 19.
"Many families are discouraged by the lengthy enrollment process and the amount of time it takes to determine if they are eligible for these programs," said Steve Escoboza, interim director of San Diego County's Health and Human Services Agency. "Health-e-App could change all that."
The Foundation and the Institute were partners with CHHSA and its administering departments, the California Department of Health Services and the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, in developing Health-e-App. Deloitte Consulting was selected to design and build Health-e-App following a competitive selection process; interfaces to the state and county systems were built by Electronic Data Systems (EDS); and health plan and provider databases are provided by GeoAccess.
"Health-e-App shows how government, business, and public benefit groups can come together with innovative and sensible solutions to address major policy issues," said Crystal Hayling, director of the Medi-Cal Policy Institute.
The California HealthCare Foundation funded the software development and beta test process and is making Health-e-App available to the state at no cost.
"Health-e-App is a great example of an effective public-private partnership providing a strategic investment to make government programs more accessible, more responsive, and more efficient," said CHHSA Secretary Johnson.
For more information about Health-e-App, including an online narrative tour of the application, visit the Health-e-App Web site through the link below.
About the California HealthCare Foundation
The California HealthCare Foundation is an independent philanthropy committed to improving the way health care is delivered and financed in California. By promoting innovations in care and broader access to information, our goal is to ensure that all Californians can get the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford.