American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) Launches National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative to Support ACA Navigators

Press Release

Rockville, MD  January 31, 2014 –The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is pleased to announce the establishment of the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC). The NDNRC is an initiative aimed at providing cross-disability information and support to Navigators and other enrollment specialists thereby ensuring people with disabilities receive accurate information when selecting and enrolling in insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. The NDNRC website (http://www.nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/) also has news and resources designed to support groups who are providing enrollment assistance to consumers with disabilities as they enroll for coverage through the marketplaces.

The NDNRC website previously released the “Guide to Disability for Healthcare Insurance Marketplace Navigators” which provides information on special considerations people with disabilities face as they shop for healthcare coverage and it can be found here: http://www.nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/ndnrc-materials/disability-guide/.

Today, the publication of the first fact sheet for the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC), “Comparing Health Plans’ Benefits and Coverage Summaries” was released. The fact sheet is designed to inform navigators and other enrollment specialists about what people with disabilities need to look for in the Summary of Benefits and Coverage. The fact sheet can be found here: http://www.nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/ndnrc-materials/fact-sheets/fact-sheet-1/. The entire list of upcoming fact sheets is also available at: http://www.nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/ndnrc-materials/fact-sheets/.

The NDNRC is comprised of seven national disability organizations which represent unique cross-disability experiences. Along with AAHD, the other six partner organizations are the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF); the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS); The Arc and United Spinal Association. Special thanks to DREDF for their role in authorship of the fact sheet. The NDNRC is funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

For further information about the NDNRC, please contact Karl Cooper, Esq, AAHD Project Associate at kcooper(at)aahd(dot)us.

The mission of AAHD (https://aahd.us) is to advance health promotion and wellness initiatives for people with disabilities. AAHD is located in Rockville, MD and is 501 (c) (3).