Grant to Fund Tool for Latino Healthcare Consumers
October 19, 2017
Many Americans lack the fundamental understanding of health insurance they need to make informed decisions about managing their healthcare and the attendant costs. The problem is particularly pronounced for Latinos, who are both disproportionately uninsured and limited by linguistic and cultural barriers. On October 5. 2017, The New York Community Trust (The Trust) announced that it was awarding FAIR Health a grant to support a new initiative promoting health insurance literacy (HIL) in New York City’s Latino communities.
The project will entail the development and dissemination of NY HOST Español (Healthcare Online Shopping Tool), a culturally appropriate, mobile-optimized Spanish-language version of FAIR Health’s innovative new YouCanPlanForThis.org consumer website. The new tool will incorporate most features of YouCanPlanForThis.org, including estimates of typical out-of-network and negotiated in-network (allowed) costs for medical procedures; estimates of bundled costs for the range of services associated with 25 distinct “episodes of care,” such as diabetes and asthma; and, for 100 commonly performed procedures, a listing of thousands of New York State-based healthcare providers with information about their practices and prices. The site also will feature Spanish-language educational content, links to community resources, glossary items and more.
The success of a tool like NY HOST Español is measured in the number of consumers it helps. The 18-month project will include a multi-faceted, culturally relevant campaign designed to reach New York City’s Latino population that will feature community events, media support and collaborative efforts with Latino community organizations to build awareness of the tool and explain its use. The program also will evaluate the level of awareness, use, acceptability and utility of the website among the target population through qualitative and quantitative methods.
The Trust previously funded in part the creation and dissemination of FAIR Health’s FH® CCSalud, a Spanish-language version of our award-winning mobile app, FH® Cost Lookup.
The Trust’s Program Director Irfan Hasan stated, “FAIR Health’s demonstrated commitment to empowering all healthcare consumers to become educated and self-sufficient makes them an ideal partner for an initiative like NY HOST Español. Bringing a tool of this nature to the underserved Latino community can serve to create savings, improve health and even save lives.”
FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd remarked, “The consumer-directed focus at the core of FAIR Health’s mission is now more important than ever. We applaud the work NYCT does in assisting New York City’s more vulnerable populations, and we are grateful that they have chosen to support our efforts to expand the reach of our consumer resources.”
For more information about NY HOST Español and about licensing a custom-branded version of our consumer resources for your organization’s members or employees, contact us by e-mail at info@fairhealth.org or call us at 855-301-3247, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm ET.