Staff at San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department’s call centers are ready to answer the calls of residents seeking to enroll in Health Care Reform (HCR) Pre-Enrollment, part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), set to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance staff will receive Medi-Cal eligible phone calls transferred from Covered California to help to enroll residents in expanded Medi-Cal and other Health Care coverage options via the Covered California Exchange/Marketplace. Staff will handle inquiries by phone as well as lobby walk-ins regarding health care options. The goal will be to actively find the right coverage and enroll as many people as possible. An estimated 95,000 San Bernardino County residents are expected to apply.
To meet these needs, San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance hired additional staff, based on the estimated need, to ensure appropriate mandated service levels are met and added a third Customer Service Center with 45 staff dedicated to HCR calls.
“All TAD staff have received training on the new HCR policies, procedures and automated system. There has also been customer service related training to prepare staff to address customers’ needs in enrollment and plan selection,” said Nancy Swanson, Director of San Bernardino County TAD.
Staff from other County departments have been included in meetings, trainings and preparations for HCR. The department has also reached out to the community to educate residents about Covered California.
Challenges are still expected on October 1.
“Although San Bernardino County TAD is as ready as possible to implement ACA, the success of pre-enrollment is highly dependent on the readiness of the State and Federal government,” Swanson said. “Significant challenges exist in implementing based on the state’s preparedness.”
Some challenges may stem from the fact State and Federal Systems may not be fully ready nor tested by October 1, meaning automated systems could fail. The State will also not have the interface between the State and county systems programmed until Jan. 1, 2014, which will create duplicate work for staff for three months. Swanson added that a mandatory application is still pending finalization by the State and there is not a clear policy requiring additional training/re-training of staff as issues are resolved and policy defined.
“Clearly, the quality of customer service may be impacted beyond the control of TAD staff, given the State’s delays, constant changing of direction and guidance, unanswered questions and automation issues,” said Swanson.
Swanson said there may be increased wait times for service for those who call.
“We are prepared in the areas that we have control over and will do our best to help residents through pre-enrollment, even though their initial experience may be challenging,” said Swanson.
The San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department enhances the quality of life in the community by providing economic support to individuals and families. It is committed to working collaboratively to provide services accurately and efficiently, with a high emphasis on integrity, respect and customer service.
The Transitional Assistance Department is doing its part to help the community achieve the Countywide Vision by ensuring residents have the resources they need to provide the necessities of life to their families. Information on the Countywide Vision can be found at http://www.sbcounty.gov.
For more information about covered California, visit the Covered California website at http://www.coveredca.com or call 1-800-300-1506.
