The Florida Institute for Health Innovation (FIHI), a health policy and research nonprofit, is currently recruiting participants for a series of Medicaid focus groups in late April. FIHI is collaborating with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Mathematica on these compensated focus groups for the project “Assessing RWJF’s Efforts to Promote Marketplace and Medicaid Enrollment.”
Florida has experienced a steady increase in Medicaid enrollment throughout the pandemic. Data from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) shows enrollment rose 37% — from 3.7 million in March 2020 to over 5.1 million in March 2022.
However, with millions of potential eligibility redeterminations and disenrollments to come this summer at the end of the federal public health emergency (PHE), advocates are concerned that vulnerable Floridians will not have access to adequate resources to help them navigate changes in their health coverage.
FIHI aims to address the potential lack in navigation resources by convening the focus groups.
“We are inviting Medicaid eligible persons to join us for a 90-minute virtual (remote, online) focus group session to better understand your unique experience with outreach and enrollment for (ACA/ObamaCare/ Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC)),” FIHI CEO Joseph West said in an announcement about the project.
According to West, enrollment experiences widely varied among Floridians. Interested participants must have the following qualifications:
- Reside in Florida and be eligible for Medicaid
- Received medical or social service support while enrolling in coverage during the 2022 open enrollment period
- Received medical or social service support and did not enroll in coverage
- Did not attempt to enroll in coverage and remain uninsured
Participants can complete an initial five-minute screening survey to help FIHI identify target communities based on background and enrollment experience. FIHI will then notify selected participants with dates and times of the focus group meetings. Participants will receive $25 via Cash App or Zelle for completing the screening survey and $100 if selected to participate in the focus group.
FIHI will hold a total of nine online focus group sessions from April 21st to April 28th. For more information about FIHI and the focus group process, contact [email protected].