Pennsylvania: Pennie announces health equity report & steps towards reducing health inequities

via Pennie (Pennsylvania's ACA exchange):

Pennie, Pennsylvania’s official health insurance marketplace, is proud to present their inaugural Health Equity Data Report.

Pennie was created with the promise of providing quality and accessible health coverage to all Pennsylvanians. Since its inception, Pennie has implemented several initiatives to expand access to health coverage through the marketplace, including through record levels of financial help and reducing language access barriers. The data included in this report, as explained in detail throughout, support several key takeaways that establishes not only the current status of health equity in Pennsylvania, but also the additional steps necessary to reduce health inequities.

This report:

• Details the impact of policies and procedures created to help reduce inequities experienced by historically marginalized communities.
• Establishes a baseline upon which to measure future efforts to reduce inequities in enrollment.
• Provides a view into the uninsured rates among different communities to help identify where additional efforts are needed.

“This Health Equity Report is our roadmap to understanding Pennie’s progress in providing quality, affordable health coverage to all Pennsylvanians and the best route to get where we want to go. We use a data-informed approach to measure the efficacy of our health equity efforts and to inform future allocation of resources,” noted Pennie’s Director of Policy David Thomsen. “It provides a view into the uninsured rates among different communities to help identify where additional efforts are needed.”

Working together, Pennie and its stakeholder community can address Pennie’s health equity goal of making these two items general practice: 1) the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and 2) partnering with vulnerable communities to reduce inequities.

“Pennie’s Health Equity Report demonstrates our commitment to making equity a strategic priority at Pennie, to improve our program for all Pennsylvanians. The first step to reducing inequity is to understand where it is happening. This detailed report arms Pennie and community partners with critical and actionable information to create a healthcare landscape in Pennsylvania where equitable health outcomes are not just an aspiration, but a reality,” said Guerline L. Laurore, Pennie’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer.

“We are extremely excited to be publishing our first Health Equity Report. This report provides a baseline of how well we are meeting our health equity goals and highlights the opportunities for new initiatives to reach our goals in providing quality, affordable coverage across the Commonwealth,” said Pennie’s Executive Director Devon Trolley. “We will be using this data to shape our initiatives moving forward and encourage Pennie insurers, brokers, assisters and others to do the same.”

Pennsylvanians experiencing a Qualifying Life Event such as loss of health coverage, marriage, change of residence, or many others, can enroll in a Special Enrollment Period anytime outside open enrollment. Anyone losing Medicaid (medical assistance) can enroll. Pennie’s Open Enrollment Period for 2024 coverage begins November 1st, 2023.