Impact of Outreach on Medicaid Enrollment

Outreach and Maintenance of Medicaid Enrollment: Evidence From Wisconsin's Navigator Program

This project will assess the impact of various forms of outreach from navigators on Medicaid enrollment. Navigators are professionals who can provide one-on-one assistance with the Medicaid renewal process. The investigators propose to randomize the nature of outreach to households in Wisconsin enrolled in fee-for-service Medicaid who must renew or lose their coverage.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, states received support to maintain continuous Medicaid coverage, raising Medicaid enrollment to unprecedented levels. In Wisconsin, enrollment was nearly 30% higher by the end of 2021 compared to February 2020, with the maintenance of enrollment policy contributing to much of this increase. After the end of the public health emergency, normal renewal processes will resume.

The Wisconsin navigator program, Covering Wisconsin, has been commissioned by the Department of Health Services (DHS) to conduct outreach to the group of fee-for-service Medicaid beneficiaries who need to re-determine eligibility after the conclusion of the public health emergency. To identify what outreach strategies are most effective, the investigators propose to randomize the nature of outreach used. While there will be some variation in the content and timing of messages, all beneficiaries will receive messages with clear information on how to contact the navigators.

Per a protocol amendment approved on 2/21/24, the study team will no longer randomize receipt of an outbound call but rather will provide it to all participants.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Included on the lists Wisconsin DHS provides to Covering Wisconsin of fee-for-service Medicaid beneficiaries who need to renew their Medicaid coverage

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prefer a language other than English or Spanish or lack a cellular phone number