Enrollment Videos

2024 Healthcare.gov Application Walk-Through

September 2024

Explore the full playlist on Youtube.

Texas State of Enrollment 2024

Our latest free two-day virtual conference with webinars on the latest on outreach and enrollment in Texas health care and benefit programs. 

Texas Health Programs and Eligibility & Enrollment Scenarios (Sept. 24)

Setting the foundation for conference sessions to follow, panelists will review key health and food programs eligibility categories for Texas community members. They will also discuss enrollment best practices for each of those categories, including contact information for local offices that can support all Texans in their journeys to good health and healthy food access. Panelists will also cover Texas-specific programs that can support community members with mental health care and/or services sometimes not covered by traditional health plans.
 

Federal Policy & Program Updates (Sept. 24)

This session will provide an in-depth overview of recent federal policy changes impacting Texas health care and benefit programs. Attendees will gain valuable insights into key updates, including DACA eligibility, Medicaid/CHIP streamlining rules, and significant changes to the ACA Marketplace. The session will also cover updates to Navigator grant contracts and important regulations regarding Agent/Broker consumer data handling. Additionally, participants will explore the latest developments in federal mental health policies and programs. Through this session, attendees will learn to navigate these complex policy changes, address common application and enrollment challenges, and enhance their ability to assist clients with accurate, up-to-date information.

Texas Policy & Program Updates (Sept. 24)

As the laws that determine who can enroll in Texas programs and what kinds of health care and food access those programs can provide change, people across professions—from Community Health Workers to benefits counselors to policy analysts and more—can learn from this session how those changing laws affect the day-to-day health care and food access for all Texans. The panel will highlight key policy changes and describe how those changes will affect the outreach, health education, and applications strategies assisters use to help community members get and stay enrolled and use their health plans to the utmost.

ACA Marketplace Basics: Tips & Tricks for Texas Assisters (Sept. 24)

An experienced health programs Navigator will walk panel attendees through the Marketplace health insurance application at HealthCare.gov. The application can be tricky, and this session will provide application best practices and tips for assisters helping community members fill out the application accurately—so it reflects their household and income; choose a health plan based on their real needs; and maintain their plan for good coverage around the year.

Immigrant Families: Eligibility, Enrollment, & Utilization (Sept. 25)

This session will provide a review of the different types of qualified immigrants and the benefits each group is eligible to apply for, including the newest eligible DACA group. Participants will also hear about common eligibility determination errors and work-arounds to resolve them. Finally, participants will also learn to identify programs and other resources for people without current immigration statuses and how assisters can share those resources within their community.

Assister Workforce Roundtable: Challenges & Successes (Sept. 25)

Focusing on the common experiences of health programs application assisters (for both HealthCare.gov and YourTexasBenefits.com programs) around Texas, this panel will open up conversation among the assister community to share challenges and best practices for solving problems that assister organizations share no matter where they are in this huge state or which people are in their priority community groups. I’m hopeful that the conversation the begins here will reveal some practical things that conference organizers (Every Texan, Texas Association of Community Health Centers, and Young Invincibles) can do and some topics we can revisit in our monthly Get Covered Texas calls to continuously improve health outcomes for vulnerable Texans by improving tools and conditions for assisters. 

Immigrant Access Under ACA, CHIP, & Medicaid Webinar

October 2023

Participants heard latest updates on the issues and policies affecting our work to enroll immigrants in health care. Speakers reviewed Federal and Texas issues, and provided a special focus on immigrants and mixed-immigration status families.

Speakers:
Anne Dunkelberg | Every Texan

Texas State of Enrollment 2023

Latest Updates on HealthCare.Gov and Open Enrollment (Oct. 10)

Marketplace Open Enrollment is just around the corner! This session will provide the latest Marketplace updates and what you can expect this year. The session will also provide an explanation of the Federal Poverty Level chart and explain why for 8 months out of the year, Marketplace uses an FPL chart that is different from one used for Medicaid and CHIP. Also participants should be aware of some fraudulent behavior and what to do to report abuse if you encounter it with your clients.   

Speakers:

Mina Schultz – Young Invincibles

Anthony Lechuga — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Sonia Lara — Texas Association of Community Health Centers

What’s New with Texas Medicaid, SNAP, and Healthy Texas Women (Oct. 10)

Ch-ch-ch-changes in Texas! During this session you’ll hear from experts on Texas health care and food programs about what changes have already taken place, what is on the horizon, and how those changes will impact your client’s access to health care and food programs like Medicaid, SNAP, Summer EBT, and Healthy Texas Women.

Speakers:

Rachel Cooper — Every Texan

Diana Forester — Texans Care For Children

Kristen Lenau — Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition

Texas Medicaid Unwinding: Challenges and Successes (Oct. 11)

During “unwinding” 6 million Texans will go through Medicaid renewal, some for the first time. Enrollment assisters play a critical role, helping Texans understand and take the steps needed to maintain Medicaid or transition to CHIP, the Marketplace, or job-based health insurance. We’ve learned a lot since unwinding started in April. In this session, we’ll get the latest updates from HHSC, get a snapshot of outcomes in Texas, and hear best practices from Texas enrollment assisters.

Speakers:

Carina Sturgeon — La Esperanza Clinic

Michelle Alletto — Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Ana Rangel — Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic

Stacey Pogue — Every Texan 

Step-By-Step Walkthrough of Your Texas Benefits (Oct. 11)

Your Texas Benefits is the portal for Texans to enroll in SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, TANF, and other state programs. Learn from the experts the best practices for assisting consumers in enrolling for state benefit programs with a step-by-step walkthrough of the online application. 

Speakers:

Leyda Valdez — North Texas Food Bank

Amy P. Cuellar — Feeding Texas

Immigrant Access and Eligibility (Oct. 12)

This session will provide an overview of the DACA proposed federal rule. Also, a review of public benefits available to eligible immigrant families will be provided as well as work arounds for families who are erroneously denied. Participants will also understand the public charge resources available through the Seguro Texas campaign, which was created to “thaw” the public charge chilling effect to educate mixed-status families about their rights to access public benefits.

Speakers:

Esther Reyes — Children’s Defense Fund Texas

Yu Gu — Light and Salt Association

Anne Dunkelberg — Every Texan

Martha Sanchez — Young Invincibles 

The Power of Storytelling (Oct. 12)

Storytelling is a powerful tool used to inspire, persuade, and mobilize individuals to support a cause or a change. Learning how to tell stories to influence policies that affect your mission and your beneficiaries require several importance best practices. During this session, participants will learn the power of telling stories to bring awareness to individuals insured and uninsured, plus the importance of their voices. This session will present outreach ideas and the importance of messaging for reaching policy makers, funders, and the masses. 

Speakers:

Amber Ayala — Children’s Defense Fund Texas

Aurora Harris — Young Invincibles