Woonsocket's Thundermist Wins $204K to Help Uninsured Get Health Coverage

U.S. Congressmen Jim Langevin and David N. Cicilline applauded Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ announcement that $941,513 has been awarded to help Rhode Island health centers, including Woonsocket's Thundermist Health Center, enroll the uninsured in new health coverage options.

Thundermist's 450 Clinton St location will receive $204,508 to help local uninsured residents.

“Too many of our citizens cannot access or afford quality medical care, so providing options for these individuals is a priority for me, for my colleagues in the Rhode Island delegation and for the administration,” Rep. Langevin said. “This award of nearly $1 million will benefit tens of thousands of currently uninsured Rhode Islanders. That is not only a win for healthier families, but also for businesses that will see improved productivity and a health care system that will save money through preventative care.”

 “These critical resources will help ensure more Rhode Island families can enjoy access to quality, affordablehealth care services,” said Cicilline. “Along with Congressman Langevin, I will continue standing up and advocating to bring important federal resources back to our state to get things done for Rhode Islanders.”

In Rhode Island, eight health centers, including Thundermist, operating 48 sites served 134,905 patients last year, 32 percent of whom were uninsured. With these funds, the awardees expect to hire 21 additional workers, who will assist 19,650 Rhode Islanders with enrollment into affordable health insurance coverage.  Across the nation, 1,159 health centers will receive $150 million in grant awards.

“This investment will give Rhode Island neighborhoods and towns one more resource to help people understand their insurance options and enroll in affordable coverage,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

 Health centers have a long history of providing eligibility assistance to patients along with delivering high-quality, primary healthcare services in communities across the nation. With these awards, health centers will help consumers understand their coverage options in Rhode Island’s new Health Insurance Marketplace – Rhode Island Health Benefits Exchange (RIHBE). They will also help determine an individual’s eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; any financial help they can get; and enroll them in new affordable health coverage options. 

The awards, issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), complement and align with other federal efforts, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-funded Navigator program. Today’s announcement is part of the administration's larger effort to make applying for health coverage as easy as possible. The new, consumer-focusedHealthCare.gov website and the 24-hour-a-day consumer call center are available to help Rhode Islanders prepare for open enrollment and ultimately sign up for health coverage.  These new tools will help Rhode Islanders understand their coverage options and select the plan that best suits their needs when open enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace beginsOctober 1, 2013.