For the past three years, Cover Monroe has had free public sign-up help sessions, and this year it will continue at the Monroe County Public Library. For several hours in the afternoon, volunteers from Cover Monroe are available to help anyone find the right healthcare plan and answer questions about signing up for healthcare.
“It cannot possibly get too much newer,” said Laurie Ann Curry, the coordinator for HCAP about the merger. “We’re still in our infancy.”
A proposition for the merger came in August 2015 when David Meyer, the founder of Cover Monroe, approached SCCAP. By the end of November, a contract was signed, and Wednesday, the two entities will meet to discuss and lay out a strategic plan for the organization.
To those seeking help from HCAP, operations won’t appear too different from what they were when the organization was Cover Monroe. But the absorption will benefit both entities — Cover Monroe, which is run completely by volunteers, will have greater stability under SCCAP, Meyer said. The latter is a large nonprofit organization with a budget, he said, and a new paid executive director will be in charge. SCCAP will also be able to enter the healthcare arena and offer wider services to those they already help.
“It was perfect timing for us to join forces,” Curry said.
Because SCCAP covers Morgan, Brown and Owen counties in addition to Monroe, Cover Monroe will be able to access a wider base of clients to assist with healthcare signups: about 4,000 families and 9,000 individuals, Curry said.
About 120 volunteers make up Cover Monroe. Many of these are navigators, which means they are licensed to help people sign up for healthcare. This requires 30 to 40 hours of training, Meyer said, as well as testing.
Curry said Cover Monroe’s navigators and volunteers will easily be transferred to HCAP.
Sunday, several volunteers gathered in a library meeting room to wait for people to stop by with questions. Meyer said because it was the first day, only about a half-dozen people came for assistance. The demographic leaned toward an older crowd, he said. Younger people more often know how to use complex websites, Meyer said, and can breeze through the federal marketplace site.
But the process is complicated, Meyer said. One has to consider family income and taxes, and from there glean which type of coverage to opt for and which website to use.
“Buying a CD or DVD off Amazon is a lot easier than buying a years’ worth of medical coverage for you and your family,” Meyer said.
Curry called it intimidating. After first signing up for coverage herself, she discovered no one in the Bloomington area — no one closer than Indianapolis — accepted her dental or vision package, even though it was on an IU health plan. She said she wants to make sure no one has to deal with the frustrations she dealt with.
Curry said she wants everyone eligible to get the right coverage that works — not just to increase the statistic of those covered.
Remaining sign-up sessions will take place at the Monroe County Public Library from 1–5 p.m. Dec. 13 and Jan. 10, 17, 24 and 31.
