Fidelis Care and His Branches Community Health Center Partner on Insurance Renewal Education Event
11/28/2023
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Posted by Fidelis Care
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Renewal
Fidelis Care and health care provider His Branches Community Health Center recently partnered for an event in Rochester aimed at educating the public about a major change in the health insurance renewal process.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided New York State with additional funding to keep individuals automatically covered under Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, and Managed Long Term Care. Those individuals must now take action to keep their health insurance.
About nine million New Yorkers with Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, and Managed Long Term Care coverage, including 3,600 His Branches Community Health Center patients and two million Fidelis Care members, may be impacted by the change.
To raise awareness and encourage members and patients to act, Fidelis Care and His Branches Community Health Center held a special renewal information event at the His Branches location in Rochester’s 19th Ward. Megan Woodward, Fidelis Care Vice President, Retention, Brittanie McCleary, His Branches Case Manager, and Mike Weston, His Branches Executive Director, spoke about the importance of people maintaining their health coverage.
Woodward said, “Renewal rules have changed and failure to act means you could risk losing your health insurance. Now, more than ever, access to health insurance is a critical way to keep our families and our communities healthy physically, mentally, and holistically. If you have questions or need help renewing, we have representatives ready to assist. Call us, visit us online, or check out a Fidelis Care community-based office or StreetSide RV stop in your area. We spend as much time as needed to walk people through the process with patience and compassion.”
McCleary said, “His Branches works very closely with Fidelis Care. They bring their StreetSide RV mobile office to our practice regularly. We often have people who come in without a connection to healthcare. They want to be new patients, but they have no insurance and have questions. Fidelis Care can help them navigate available services and get them insured. We are very grateful for the work that Fidelis Care does and the partnership that we have with them.”
Weston said, “For our patients, continuity of care is significant to managing the impact of chronic disease. If someone has lost insurance benefits, they are less likely to come see us or continue medication that helps them stay healthy. So, having Fidelis Care here makes it easy for our patients to continue coverage, manage their health, and enjoy a sustained quality of life.”
Those interested in learning more about health insurance renewals can visit the Fidelis Care website at fideliscare.org/renew or call 1-866-435-9521 (TTY: 711) Monday-Friday 8:30 AM to 6 PM.