Accessing Health Benefits
Interventions to increase enrollment in health benefits programs
Background
Federal agencies have invested substantial resources into connecting their constituents to health benefits and ensuring they have the information they need to effectively utilize these benefits. With the aim of identifying low-cost, scalable measures to increase access to health benefits, several agencies have identified possible bottlenecks in the health insurance and health benefits enrollment process. For instance, agencies documented a lack of awareness regarding eligibility, coverage options, and the consequences of lacking health coverage. Agencies also observed an apparent disconnect between intention and action; that is, a large number of Americans indicate that they want to receive health coverage but fail to take the next step and enroll. Efforts to date have worked to address these bottlenecks through measures designed to support Veterans, tax filers who previously lacked coverage, and Americans looking to enroll in health insurance.
Portfolio
OES has collaborated with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to measure the effectiveness of communications interventions aimed at increasing enrollment in health insurance and other health benefits.
