AMCNO Participates in Ohio Department of Insurance Cover the Uninsured Week Initiative

As part of Cover the Uninsured Week (April 27th through May 3rd) the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) hosted a media event in Columbus to discuss the issue of uninsured Ohioans. The session covered the progress of the Department’s health coverage reform initiatives to decrease the number of uninsured Ohioans and provided an opportunity for the media to participate in a computer simulation program called Choosing Healthplans All Together (CHAT), which is being used by the Department and stakeholders to gather information about Ohio’s uninsured.

The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio (AMCNO) was recognized at the media event as a partner in the CHAT forum process. CHAT or Choosing Healthplans All Together (CHAT) participants are faced with making decision about health benefits packages with limited resources. The Department and its partners (including the AMCNO) are taking CHAT statewide for private sessions with the uninsured to learn more about their decision-making process regarding health coverage. This initiative is part of the reform initiative led by Governor Strickland in Ohio. ODI is assisting the State Coverage Initiative team, led by Governor Strickland, in developing mechanisms to provide adequate and affordable health insurance options for the state’s uninsured. The goal is to reduce the state's uninsured population by 500,000 by 2011. Various activities are underway to gather information and engage stakeholders and the public in a discussion about developing comprehensive, effective reforms. 

Two AMCNO sponsored CHAT sessions took place on Thursday, May 1st – one with uninsured participants and the other with physician participants. The results of these sessions will be included in the report to the Governor.