Advocacy and Benefits Counseling for Health, Inc.

ABC for Health’s mission is to provide information, advocacy tools, legal services and expert support needed to obtain, maintain and finance health care coverage and services. The organization has two subsidiaries, ABC for Rural Health and My Coverage Plan Inc., and one membership-based project, HealthWatch Wisconsin, that focuses on workforce development issues and training around access to health care coverage and services.

ABC for Health developed a nationally recognized, integrated model of health benefits counseling, legal services and policy advocacy that promotes access to health coverage and services for all people. Since 1994, the firm has responded to over 40,000 requests for assistance recorded on a database.

The organization develops multi-purpose education and technology strategies to identify, align and optimize health care coverage for clients/patients. Staff advocates directly for people seeking health care coverage and services.

ABC for Health promotes the development of local HealthWatch coalitions as well as other partnerships and strategic alliances to develop public policy and inform public opinion health insurance and other coverage options for people.

ABC’s for-profit subsidiary, My Coverage Plan, Inc. (MCP), will develop health IT tools that promote training and reduce avoidable health disparities. The firm's developing software suite provides a TurboTax-like tool to screen for coverage and provide a personalized electronic health care coverage record. The National Institute of Health provides funding support for MCP.

Project opportunities

• Research on health coverage policy issues impacting health disparity populations, such as infant mortality, birth cost recovery through Medicaid, access to medically necessary services for children, or private insurance plan adoption of health reform requirements
• Professional development of health benefits counseling and certification requirements
• Analysis/evaluation of encounter data
• Direct service with families navigating health coverage options
• Conference planning for the public health workforce
• Media relations
• Community organizing and public hearing preparation
• Working with network of partners
• Developing the infrastructure and programs of HealthWatch Wisconsin, dedicated to identifying local needs, building capacity and competency in the public health workforce, and building strategic partnerships to help address Wisconsin’s critical access to care and coverage issues