The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66395

Deborah Zahn, MPH and Luella Penserga, MPH. Community Voices-Oakland, 7700 Edgewater Drive, Suite 215, Oakland, CA 94621, 510-633-6292, dzahn@chcn-eb.org

Alameda County, California is located east of San Francisco, and is home to the cities of Oakland and Berkeley. Approximately 169,000 people in the county are uninsured with 53 percent of the uninsured adults being immigrants. With community partners, a local not-for-profit health plan, the Alameda Alliance for Health, developed a health coverage product that is open to the families of Alliance Medicaid, SCHIP, and other Alliance Family Care members, regardless of citizenship status. In three years, over 7200 members—mostly Latino and Asian immigrants—are enrolled. 98 percent of members stay on at annual renewal. It is notable that the enrollment was successful in the absence of a marketing plan. Most of the enrollment was done by community health centers and other community-based organizations that serve low-income, immigrant communities.

Alliance Family Care was evaluated in the second year of implementation. Focus groups were conducted in English, Spanish, and Cantonese, which are the primary languages spoken by the members. All of the groups agreed they get value for the cost of Alliance Family Care and that the co-payments are affordable, indicating that there is indeed a demand among immigrant populations for affordable health coverage. Participants reported being very satisfied with the overall care they are receiving. In terms of enrollment, the general consensus was that it is surprisingly simple and quick. All of the groups were aware that citizenship was not a requirement for Alliance Family Care membership.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of this session, the participant will be able to:
• 1. Discuss the design and implementation of a community-based health plan
• 2. Identify the barriers to insurance coverage by immgirants and strategies to overcome the barriers
• 3. Discuss effective outreach and enrollment strategies for immigrants and other underserved populations

Keywords: Immigrants, Access to Health Care

Related Web page: www.communityvoices.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Alameda Alliance for Health, Community Voices-Oakland
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Partner organization, grant