Approved Minutes of November 15, 2023

Browse Search

MINUTES-Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH November 15, 2023 subsidies exist for individuals with low income who do not qualify for Medicaid, and that subsidy limits have been expanded alongside Medicaid eligibility requirements. • Ms. Shewmaker shared that DSS will be sharing information via social media and is working closely with local municipalities and community groups for promotion. In response to Dr. Jonnal's question about whether there is any liaison with UNC Chapel Hill, Ms. Shewmaker said that DSS has a contract and point person at UNC and that they are distributing both English- and Spanish-language flyers. Dr. Jonnal then asked if there is any way to automatically screen patients referred for Charity Care for Medicaid eligibility, to which Ms. Moize clarified that a patient cannot receive Charity Care until they have applied for all funding which they may be eligible for, including Medicaid. • Dr. Baldwin asked if DSS would be offering any trainings for community members to help with enrollment, for example librarians or staff at local community centers. Ms. Shewmaker answered that there is a tutorial on YouTube to teach people to assist with enrollment, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=204bNl5pGki. • In response to Dr. Royce's question about outreach workers, Ms. Shewmaker explained that DSS will work with community partners for outreach, as they do not have adequate staff to be out in the community and instead will primarily focus on processing the applications they receive, as this is the most time-consuming part of enrollment. • Dr. Stuebe asked if there's a way to use data from other states to estimate who DSS might be missing. Ms. Shewmaker clarified that the eligibility projections are based on such data, and these figures will be used as a guide for outreach and to gauge impact. She added that GIS mapping and census data may also be used to verify that they are not missing pockets of people. Dr. Stuebe then asked if it was possible to notify people that they are eligible for Medicaid when they receive their tax returns, to which Ms. Shewmaker explained that this was standard practice when the Affordable Care Act rolled out, but she is unsure if it still happens. • In response to Dr. Crandell's question about healthcare workers' capacity to meet any increase in demand due to greater health insurance coverage, Ms. Shewmaker said that Orange County has a lot of providers and will likely be able to meet this demand but that some rural communities may face challenges. She added that Medicaid patients are automatically assigned a Primary Card Provider, which should help mitigate demand and avoid challenging new patients to find a provider who accepts Medicaid. VII. Actions Items A. Elections (Chair &Vice Chair) The Board members shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair by majority vote each year at the last meeting of the calendar year. Mr. Bagby reminded the board that nominees are recused from voting in the elections for which they have been nominated. Motion to elect Dr. Alison Stuebe as 2024 Vice Chair was made by Dr. Rachel Royce, seconded by Dr. Bruce Baldwin, and carried without dissent. Motion to elect Dr. Aparna Jonnal as 2024 Chair was made by Dr. Rachel Royce, seconded by Dr. Shielda Rodgers, and carried without dissent. Mr. Bagby expressed his support for Dr. Jonnal and Dr. Stuebe going into the new year. He shared that he was grateful for the support that he had received from Dr. Baldwin when he began as chair, and that he would offer the same guidance and encouragement going forward. S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda&Abstracts\2023 Agenda&Abstracts/ November Page 5