Congresswoman Matsui Highlights Almost $150,000 in Federal Grants to Sacramento Region Health Centers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
CONTACT: JONELLE TRIMMER
(202) 225-7163
Congresswoman Matsui Highlights Almost $150,000 in Federal Grants to Sacramento Region Health Centers
WellSpace Health and Elica Health Centers receive HHS grant funding to provide enrollment assistance for the uninsured
Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06) today highlighted that two community health centers in the Sacramento region will receive $148,833 from the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). This funding will help local health centers enroll uninsured Americans in the new health coverage options made available by the Affordable Care Act.
"As we move toward full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it is imperative that residents in the Sacramento region have the information they need to sign up for the health insurance plan that best fits their needs," said Congresswoman Doris Matsui. "Community health centers are on the front lines of health care and these funds will help them to ensure that individuals are able to sign up for health insurance and have access to high quality, affordable health care."
WellSpace Health, formerly The Effort, is receiving $88,832 in HHS grant funding to help uninsured Sacramento residents enroll in health insurance. Similarly, Elica Health Centers is receiving $60,001 to help enroll residents in West Sacramento. With these grants, Wellspace and Elica will help consumers understand their coverage options through the new Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program; determine their eligibility and financial help they can get; and enroll in new affordable health coverage options.
"These funds will help us expand our outreach as well as andlsquo;inreach' - working to andlsquo;eligibilize' patients who are already coming to our health centers for uncompensated care. The funds also supplement Covered California outreach and enrollment funds that WellSpace Health was awarded, thereby leveraging state and local resources. This is exactly the right kind of support at just the right time," said Dr. Jonathan Porteus, Chief Executive Officer of WellSpace Health.
andquot;The Affordable Care Act is making it possible for us to better serve the needs of people in our region. Helping them access coverage not only responds to their primary care needs; it helps us support improved health outcomes for our patients," said Elizabeth Cassin, Chief Executive Officer of Elica Health Centers. andquot;Weand#39;re grateful to HHS for the funding to help eligible people access healthcare; and to Congresswoman Matsui for her support of the residents of the Sacramento region.andquot;
HHS awarded $150 million in grant awards to over a thousand health centers across the nation as part of the administration's effort to make applying for health coverage as easy as possible. The administration has launched a consumer-focused website, HealthCare.gov, and a 24-a-day consumer call center to consumers sign up for health insurance when open enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace begins later this year on October 1.
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