Basic Health Is A Secret No More
Seated at a cubicle in the lobby of the Northeast Community Center, Ralph Decristoforo helps make one government program a little more user-friendly.
Decristoforo volunteers six hours a week. He helps people fill out applications and answers questions about Washington’s state-subsidized insurance plan, Basic Health. “At first I was just helping them fill out the paperwork,” he says. “Now I follow up with them to see if they’re actually applying for the plan.”
Decristoforo is a health policy and administration graduate student at Washington State University. He says that his previous career as an Air Force command officer taught him valuable people skills. “I handled moral, personnel and administrative stuff,” he says. “In that capacity, there were times when I did a lot of social work.”
Which led to his new career, and his unique volunteer work.
Applications for Basic Health are available from local insurance companies, doctors’ offices, community centers and public clinics. Private insurance companies run the subsidized program. Age and income are used to determine a person’s monthly premium, which can be as low as $10. Children are often insured for free. Jean Kindem works for a local HMO that offers Basic Health. She says the program is “the best kept secret in the state.” Kindem explains that Basic Health is perfect for people who don’t receive insurance through their jobs, or who don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.
Kindem is part of a team working to establish a permanent Basic Health application assistance center. When that office opens, a full-time staff person will expand on the work Decristoforo has started.
But only a limited number of people can enroll in Basic Health. “So we’re trying to get as many Eastern Washington people enrolled as we can,” Decristoforo says.
If you’re interested in Basic Health, call (800) 826-2444. Or visit Ralph Decristoforo. He’s at the Northeast Community Center on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo
MEMO: Created in support of the Spokane County Health Improvement Partnership (HIP), Discoveries highlights people working to improve community health and wellbeing. If you have a discovery that deserves recognition, call Elana Jefferson at 459-5419. To get involved with HIP, call 482-2557.