Impact of Outreach on Medicaid Enrollment

University of Wisconsin (UW)

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Health Insurance

Treatments: Other: Outreach From Navigators

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05433454

Protocol Amend 2/21/2024 (Other Identifier)

A538500 (Other Identifier)

SMPH/POP HEALTH SCI/POP HLTH (Other Identifier)

2022-0806

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full description

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.

Enrollment: 119,308 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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119,308 participants in 10 patient groups

Outreach via Postcard

Experimental group

Description:

40 percent of the sample

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Postcard + Outbound Call

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via postcard, plus placed an outbound phone call from navigators (20% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging Call to Hotline

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a call to a hotline for assistance (15% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging Call to Hotline + Outbound Call

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a call to a hotline for assistance, plus outbound phone call from navigators (7.5% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging Text Reply To Connect with Navigators

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a text reply to connect with navigators via chatbot (15% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging Text Reply To Connect with Navigators + Outbound Call

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a text reply to connect with navigators via chatbot, plus an outbound phone call from navigators (7.5% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging a Call to a Hotline for Assistance + a Reminder Message

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a call to a hotline for assistance plus a similar reminder message two weeks later (15% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach Text Message Encouraging Call a Hotline for Assistance + Reminder Message

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a call to a hotline for assistance plus a similar reminder message two weeks later + outbound call (7.5% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging Text Reply To Connect with Navigators+ a Reminder Message

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a text reply to connect with navigators via chatbot plus a similar reminder message two weeks later (15% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators

Outreach via Text Message Encouraging Reply To Connect with Navigators + Reminder Message

Experimental group

Description:

Outreach via text message encouraging a text reply to connect with navigators via chatbot plus a similar reminder message two weeks later + outbound call (7.5% of sample)

Treatment:

Other: Outreach From Navigators