Davis Announces Launch of Online Enrollment Program for Healthy Families, Medi-Cal in San Diego County
Gov. Gray Davis (D) announced Monday that Health-e-App, a new online enrollment program for Healthy Families and Medi-Cal, is now available throughout San Diego County. Health-e-App, which was developed by the California HealthCare Foundation and the Medi-Cal Policy Institute in cooperation with the Department of Health Services and the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, allows low-income children and their families to enroll in either Healthy Families or Medi-Cal online. With the help of certified application assistants, applicants submit their information electronically and receive preliminary eligibility notification online. The site is available in English, Spanish and "read-aloud text" for people who are visually impaired. In addition, registrants can use the site to find doctors and health plans by "language, location or medical specialty needs" (Office of the Governor release, 12/10). Launched as a pilot program in several areas around San Diego County in January, Health-e-App was used to submit 246 applications for 494 individuals. According to a Lewin Group analysis of the pilot, Health-e-App reduced the number of application errors by nearly 40%. In addition, 93% of Health-e-App applicants surveyed said they "liked" an online application process, and 90% preferred completing the online application rather than the paper forms because the electronic application was "'quick and easy,' more convenient and involved less paperwork." The analysis also found that Health-e-App reduced the time between application and eligibility determination to 13.5 days, compared to 18 days for paper applications (California Healthline, 6/13).
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