BCBSMA foundation launches health coverage grant program

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Photo | Courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield The Boston offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

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By Isabel Tehan

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation has a newly launched program geared at helping individuals from marginalized backgrounds access and keep health insurance coverage. The program will provide a total of $600,000 in grant funding to 10 organizations, including the Insurance Resource Center for Autism & Behavioral Health in Worcester.

The BCBSMA Foundation is a nonprofit grantmaking and research operation based in Boston. Its Supporting Health Coverage Enrollment Efforts program will target organizations that help MassHealth eligible individuals find coverage, according to a Monday press release from the foundation. The grants will primarily go towards capacity building for Certified Application Counselors, trained individuals who assist with health coverage options and enrollment forms.

“We created this program to provide substantial and timely resources to the enrollment assistance system, enabling organizations with strong ties to their communities to strengthen their capacity to serve as a source of reliable support for health insurance enrollment,” said BCBSMA president and CEO Audrey Shelto in the press release.

Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health, based at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, is the only Central Mass. recipient of a grant. The $60,000 will go towards Certified Application Counselor capacity in Vietnamese, according to the press release.

Other recipients of the grant funding are: