CMS Announces $80 Million Funding Opportunity Available for Navigators in States with a Federally-Facilitated Marketplace

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2021 Navigator Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will make $80 million in grant funding available to Navigators in states with a Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) for the 2022 plan year. This is the largest funding allocation CMS has made available for Navigator grants to date. With the additional funding, CMS encourages current and past Navigators to apply, especially those that focus on education, outreach and enrollment efforts to underserved and diverse communities.

“This eight-fold increase in funding is the largest investment ever made in the Navigator program and reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensuring Americans can find the right health care coverage, access financial assistance, complete their applications, and enroll in coverage through the Marketplaces, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We know that Navigators are uniquely positioned to get the word out about the coverage and financial assistance that can help underserved Americans who need to purchase health care coverage.”

A Navigator’s mission is to increase awareness among the uninsured about affordable health care coverage options available and assist consumers through and beyond the Marketplace enrollment process. The increased grant funding is available to applicants seeking to serve as Navigators in states with an FFM. The application details the eligibility requirements, required duties and the available funding amount  to applicants for this Navigator grant cycle.

Also, as part of the application, 2021 Navigator NOFO applicants will be asked to outline their outreach and enrollment efforts to the underserved or vulnerable population they plan to target, while still being prepared to assist any consumer seeking assistance.

State Marketplaces that leverage the federal eligibility and enrollment platform are responsible for facilitating their own Navigator funding and awards to ensure consumers in their states have access to the assistance they need when enrolling in Marketplace coverage through HealthCare.gov.

To view the Notice of Funding Opportunity, visit: https://www.grants.gov, and search for CFDA # 93.332. 

To view the Frequently Asked Questions on the grant process, visit: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Programs-and-Initiatives/Health-Insurance-Marketplaces/assistance.

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June is National COVID-19 Month of Action
As COVID-19 vaccines continue rolling out across the country, CMS is taking action to protect the health and safety of our nation’s patients and providers and keeping you updated on the latest COVID-19 resources from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).With information coming from many different sources, CMS has summarized resources and materials to help you communicate with the people that you serve. You can find these and more resources on the COVID-19 Partner Resources Page and the HHS COVID Education Campaign page. We look forward to working with you to encourage our beneficiaries and consumers to get vaccinated. For more information, visit the CMS COVID-19 Policies and Guidance page.

June is National COVID-19 Vaccine Month of Action

The HHS “We Can Do This” COVID-19 Community Corps has kicked off a month-long mobilization effort to get our communities vaccinated by July 4th!  The National Vaccine Month of Action is a collaborative effort with thousands of national organizations, community-based partners, and everyday people, serving as trusted messengers, listening to people’s concerns, and helping them make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccinations.

There are plenty of ways to take action near you or virtually. You can find more opportunities to participate here.

“Back to School” Vaccinations

The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign aims to get children and teens vaccinated so they are protected when they go back to in-person learning. Whether your organization is looking to catch children up on missed vaccines or promoting the COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents, you can find the Campaign’s many resources to promote well-child visits and vaccines on InsureKidsNow.gov.

Vaccines.gov – Making it Easier to Find Vaccines

Visit vaccines.gov, text GETVAX (438829), or call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline at 1-800-232-0233 to search and find a vaccine near you.

Visit vacunas.gov (Spanish), VACUNA (822862) for Spanish to receive three vaccine sites on your phone within seconds.

STAY CONNECTED

Join the We Can Do This Community Corps: Help in the fight against COVID-19 by encouraging family, friends, and your community to get vaccinated. Join the Community Corps to get tips, tools and resources to share. See https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/covidcommunitycorps

For more information on CMS COVID-19 Partner Updates, please contact us: Partnership@cms.hhs.gov