Help for Navigating Health Insurance

WOBURN, Mass., May 20, 2013 – Making a smart decision about health insurance is a hair-pulling experience even for medical industry insiders. The most informed people can find sorting through terminology and types of plans confounding, never mind understanding new programs and requirements stemming from health care reform. That process can be nearly impossible for underprivileged communities whose native language might not be English.

Thanks to a new online course aimed at community health workers and patient navigators—the people whose job is to increase health knowledge and support to marginalized communities—that process is much clearer.

Navigating Health Insurance is a facilitated online course that covers the principles behind insurance, the types of insurance available and how costs are structured. Participants learn why health insurance matters in the U.S., including health care reform, the importance of preventative care and the problem of rising healthcare costs. By the end of the 2-week course, participants will be armed to help patients compare plans, set up appointments and interact with insurance company representatives.

The course will begin on July 15 and finish July 28.

More than half of the people in the United States believe that they have not received adequate information to understand the way in which they will be impacted by the changes in the health care system, according to a study from Kaiser Family Foundation. A Kaiser Health Tracking Poll says “Six Months Before Open Enrollment Begins, Many Americans Remain Unaware Of, Or Confused About, The ACA.”

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“Despite the fact that health care reform and insurance coverage is in the papers every day, it’s still a terribly confusing issue,” says Monique Cuvelier, president of Talance, Inc., the e-learning company offering Navigating Health Insurance. “We aim to make it easier for people to understand insurance.”

Course instructor Marilyn Gardner is a registered nurse and works with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a Public Health Nurse Adviser and Clinical Liaison. She is a Master Trainer for the Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and has taught community health workers and patient navigators across the country and internationally.

For more information or to register for the course, please visit http://chwtraining.org/insurance.

About Talance, Inc: Talance, Inc., is a Boston-area e-learning company founded in 2000. It has offered courses and programs for some of the nation’s biggest health and human services organizations and has helped adult learners reach their career advancement and personal enrichment goals. Learn more at www.chwtraining.org.