Overview of Extension Outreach on the Marketplace Exchanges of the

Affordable Care Act (MEACA) Project

Presented by:

Cindy Reeves

Jan 6, 2014

Nutrition, Health and Wellness

• Cindy Reeves• creeves@nifa.usda.gov

– Program encompasses a broad array of human science issues including health & safety, nutrition & health education, health literacy, health in the environment, access to health care and preventive services, and community health planning.

ACA Brief Overview• The ACA is complex & changing• The ACA mandates outreach to

underserved, vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations

• 2 out of 3 uninsured do not understand how the ACA will impact them (March 2013)

• Extension is strategically placed to help connect the dots at the community level

Extension Outreach on Health Can Change the World!

Purpose• The purpose of this grant program is to

target areas of the country with high numbers of individuals that do not have health insurance and focus education and outreach efforts on these specific areas so consumers will be able to make informed decisions regarding their participation in their State’s Marketplace Exchange

MEACA Program States

• Alabama• Florida• Georgia• Kansas• Michigan• Missouri

• North Carolina• Pennsylvania• Tennessee• Texas• West Virginia• Wisconsin

Will MEACA help position Extension to

be a major player in Health?

What will it take to get that done?

Role of NIFA in Cooperative Agreement

• NIFA will be substantially involved in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of the MEACA project.

Role of Georgia as Lead Institution

• Identify and recruit sub-award states• Develop communication plans with NIFA

and partner states• Coordinate education, outreach &

education programs among partner states; Primary educational and informational resources on which to base Extension outreach programs will be provided by CMS

Role of Georgia as Lead Institution

• Conduct training events for partner states and provide access to resources, materials and support.

• Facilitate how partner states will connect with local agencies and community partners to further disseminate ACA info at local events.

Role of Georgia as Lead Institution--Evaluation• Identify or develop appropriate evaluation

tools. Conduct on-going aggregate evaluation of all partner state programs.

• Provide evaluation results and reports to NIFA and CMS

• Projects are expected to lead to measurable, documented changes in knowledge, actions, behaviors or practices in relation to MEACA

Role of Partner States

• Facilitate education, outreach, and enrollment activities related to CES outreach within each state.

• All CES MEACA project staff will complete the CAC training on the Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment assistance provided online by CMS.

Role of Partner States • Conduct training events, including

webinars for extension professionals statewide and provide them with ACA resources, materials and support.

• Connect with other local agencies and partners to disseminate ACA, Medicare, CHIP and Medicaid materials and info at education and enrollment events in the community.

• Conduct on-going evaluation & reporting

Next Critical Date

• March 31, 2014 • Last day of Open Enrollment• Concentrate efforts in this first quarter of

2014, in order to maximize outreach education and enrollment numbers.

Extension can create new stories in health insurance access –

Together we will narrate the future