Hudson Health Plan's Cell Phone-Friendly Web Site Answers Demand for Mobile Access to NYS Medicaid

Hudson is first to offer new site that helps close the digital gap for people who use mobile phones to access essential services
By: Harrison Edwards PR & Marketing
 
April 4, 2011 - PRLog -- Tarrytown, NY… The smart phone is today’s equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, an all-in-one device that functions as phone, camera, and Internet portal. Now, people can use their smart phones to gain access to excellent health care services, thanks to a new mobile phone-friendly Web site launched by Hudson Health Plan last week. Hudson is New York State’s only not-for-profit Medicaid Managed Care plan with a mobile-friendly Web site.

Using Hudson’s mobile device-optimized Web site, users can apply for coverage, find a doctor, pay their premiums, or call a Hudson Customer Care representative by tapping the toll-free number at the top of the site. With a touch of a finger or a couple of clicks, users can find answers to basic questions about the three state-subsidized insurance programs Hudson offers: Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus. Users can see where they can meet with Hudson representatives at community outreach events or where the Community Outreach Vehicles, Hudson’s  mobile offices, are scheduled to stop.

Hudson was among the first New York Medicaid plans to offer online enrollment, premium payment, and other services on its primary Web site, but “not everyone has a computer or easy access to the Internet at home or at work,” explains Mark Santiago, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications. “We know our members use mobile phones to access the Internet, and for many of them, their smart phone is their primary link to the Internet. We now offer them the same interactive functionality of our Web site on a device they already own and use.”

Users don’t have to remember a separate Web address to access the mobile site. Anyone who types in Hudson’s URL, http://www.hudsonhealthplan.org, or searches for Hudson on a cell phone browser, is automatically taken to the mobile-optimized site. To help the content download quickly, Hudson stuck to the basics in designing the site, including just the most widely used functions of the full site.

Mobile Access Helps the Uninsured
The majority of Hudson’s members and prospective members are low-income, working adults with children, including many Latino and African-American residents in the Hudson Valley.  As a recent Pew Research Center study found, low-income groups are the fastest adopters of mobile technology, and African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos are among the most active users of the mobile Web. While 34 percent of Caucasians access the Internet with their cell phones, 51 percent of African-Americans and 40 percent of Hispanic cell phone owners log on from their phones.

Health policy experts also have begun to advocate for the use of mobile online access to enroll more uninsured citizens in public health care. An issue brief, co-authored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Children’s Partnership, states, “The populations that rely most heavily on cell phones to access the Internet are also more likely to be uninsured.” Some 34 percent of non-elderly Hispanics, 23 percent of Africa-Americans, and 14 percent of Caucasians do not have health insurance, according to the brief.

Noting that thousands of individuals in New York who are eligible for public health insurance are still not enrolled, Mr. Santiago says mobile access may help close the gap. “Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for the public to enroll in public health insurance, using as many channels as we can. Whether at work, at home, in the park, riding the bus, or out shopping – people can find out if they are eligible for public health insurance, find a doctor, or pay a premium at their convenience.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Hudson Health Plan main Web site: http://www.hudsonhealthplan.org
Hudson Health Plan toll-free customer care line: 1-800-339-4557

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Hudson Health Plan is a community-based not-for-profit health care organization that provides state-sponsored Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus insurance coverage to over 100,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hudson uses every government dollar it receives to fulfill its mission, which is “to promote and provide access to excellent heath services for all people.” Hudson improves the health of its members and the communities in which they live through its innovations in care coordination, and by supporting over 5,000 local health providers. In both 2009 and 2010, Hudson achieved the highest quality incentive scores of any Medicaid plan in New York State. It also has earned the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among Medicaid Managed Care members in the Hudson Valley region every year since 2003.

Hudson Health Plan is based in Tarrytown, N.Y. Visit Hudson on the Web at www.hudsonhealthplan.org, and at www.facebook.com/hudsonhealthplan.
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Source:Harrison Edwards PR & Marketing
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Tags:Medicaid, Hudson Health Plan, Smart Phones, Kaiser Family Foundation, Uninsured
Industry:Business, Health, Mobile
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