CU Public Health Revising Assistance Plans With Marketplace

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is dialing back on plans to have 30 of its employees go through state and federal training to help people with the health care marketplace.

Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde said now about half of those employees will go through that type of training, while the rest will be certified by the state. She said that is because of Tuesday’s low turnout of people coming to the public health district to get assistance enrolling in coverage.

“I mean certainly there were people applying like wild from their homes and stuff, but we just weren’t seeing the big rush we were afraid we were going to see,” Pryde  said. “So, now it looks like it won’t be necessary for everybody to get trained up through that piece.”

Pryde said 30 people came in on Monday for help with the online marketplace.

Amanda Ziemninisky is one of the three public health staffers to so far go through the federal and state training.

“The federal training was very extensive, which is good,” Ziemninisky said. “ It gives you a lot of background information to a lot of different things besides Medicare, Medicaid. I feel like I’m very well versed. I have a history in health insurance anyway.”

Those who train through the state and the federal government can assist people as they're signing up for coverage online, while those certified by the state can only answer questions. Pryde said she hopes to get everyone through appropriate training within the next three weeks.