It's another attempt to boost enrollment in a universal health care program that has won a lot of attention nationally but met with underwhelming enrollment here.

So far, about 400 people have enrolled out of an estimated 10,000 eligible.

"The Healthy Howard program has been getting a ton of attention nationally, but not enough locally," said Dr. Peter Beilenson, the Howard County health officer. "The biggest problem we have is that the Howard County resident, in the demographic we're aiming for -- working families, basically -- has not heard of Healthy Howard."

The government began running $34,000 worth of commercials about the program on such channels as ESPN, BET, Fox News, Lifetime, History, TBS, TLC, Discovery, VH-1 and Nickelodeon. Beilenson said officials opted for cable networks because of their cheaper rates.

"Most of the people we're trying to reach do have cable," Beilenson said. "It's the perfect way to reach them."

Within the first three days of the cable ads, the health department has received 40 applications. On a regular good week, the health department might receive 15 applications.

Beilenson added: "We've gotten tons of applications by Web."

He said it will take some time to process the applications, but health officials will know if their campaign was successful in four-to-six weeks.

The Healthy Howard Access Plan launched Oct. 1, 2008, offers health coverage to people who are uninsured. The program was set up to accommodate up to 2,200 people in the first year. Beilenson estimates there are between 8,000 and 10,000 county residents eligible to enroll in Healthy Howard, out of the estimated 20,000 uninsured in the county.

Trying to reach working poor

Healthy Howard, which is a non-profit organization, has a first-year budget of $2.8 million, with $1.6 million coming from participant fees, $500,000 from the county and the rest from private sector donations.

County officials have tried several different methods to reach the working poor.

E-mails were sent directly to state and county contractual employees who do not qualify for health benefits. Letters were hand-delivered to about 500 subsidized housing residences. Letters were mailed to about 28,000 students at Howard Community College and phone calls were made to small businesses whose employees may not have insurance.

In August, the health department also went door-to-door to 4,260 homes.

Out of all those houses, about a dozen had heard of the Healthy Howard plan, Beilenson said. "Meanwhile we're getting calls from Spokane, from Los Angeles, from New Mexico, Colorado, Maine -- literally, we get calls every day.

"We're on (National Public Radio's) 'All Things Considered,' three times already this summer. On CNN. Testified before the U.S. Senate. ... It's just been hard to get the community we're aiming for to hear about it."

The target salary range for the program is roughly $35,000 to $63,600 for a family of four, although those figures are doubled if the person is self-employed.

Through the county's outreach efforts, officials discovered about 2,600 people who were eligible for government entitlement programs, such as Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, but were not taking advantage of those funds.

The enrollment push has done nothing to appease County Council member Gregory Fox, who has suggested cutting funding for Healthy Howard.

"They're well under-enrolled," said Fox, the council's lone Republican. "The press marketed this. They're advertising on cable news, they're in every media outlet and outreach thing they can be on, and they're still on some pretty low numbers."

He said officials in the health department "did their jobs" when they got uninsured into government-aid programs that already existed.

"They could have targeted all those same people without creating a new bureaucracy," he said.

"This is pure marketing stuff to get Ken Ulman's name out there," he said. "If it wasn't, they'd focus more on getting the program right rather than being on the national news at the national stage."

user comments (24)

user givemeabreak says...

Wow, $534,000.00 of county money, $1.6M in "participant fees," and a $2.8M budget, all to make sure that 400 people have half-assed medical coverage. We really need to vote all of the idiots who run this county out of office.

Posted 10:26 AM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user commonsense10 says...

That's only $70,000 per person. Greg Fox, thanks for telling it like it is. This county seems to go out looking for ways to waist money.

Posted 11:02 AM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user milton says...

Some of the national attention that the Healthy Howard Access Plan has received has been highly misleading in favor of HHAP. In particular, I am referring to the CNN piece. The CNN reporter constantly referred to HHAP as insurance, which is plainly false. The CNN reporter also left viewers with the impression that HHAP paid for a triple bypass surgery for a HHAP member, which is also false. HHAP does two main things: it allows people to see the doctor 5 or 6 times a year, and it gets them discounted prescriptions. If you need major surgery, HHAP is not for you and you should try to get health insurance. I think the reason HHAP is so popular nationally is that most people don’t fully understand it and assume that it is insurance or something similar to insurance.

Posted 12:42 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user hocomudgeon says...

Dr. Beilenson says: "The biggest problem we have is that the Howard County resident, in the demographic we're aiming for -- working families, basically -- has not heard of Healthy Howard." Maybe, just maybe, all those "working families" have heard about Healthy Howard and they're just not interested!

Posted 1:53 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user babyjane says...

The Healthy Howard Health Plan is a benefit for the whole community. By providing primary care and inpatient hospital care for those who can't afford to purchase full insurance, HHHP ensures that its members have access to a doctor when they need it. More importantly, HHHP helps its members to navigate a health care system that is extremely complicated by advocating for them at every step of the way. The plan is less than a year old and deserves to have time to evolve and improve.

Posted 2:54 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user givemeabreak says...

HHHP is a sham. It is just throwing money towards people who won't help themselves so that the upper crust can feel better about themselves. You say that HHHP provides for those who cannot afford insurance, yet, according to the Howard County Health Officer, "Most of the people [HHHP is] trying to reach do have cable." If I was underinsured or uninsured, I wouldn't have creature comforts like cable, I would be saving my $ and buying an individual (or family) insurance plan. Individual plans are expensive you say??? Well so is living in HoCo, and nobody made anyone move here. If a person can't make ends meet while paying for adequate medical insurance, they should move to a cheaper zip code, cut off the cable, and gain better control of thier finances and savings. But no, that would mean that people would be accountable for themselves, and we can't have that in the community that "chooses civility."

Posted 3:25 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user hocojoe says...

More waste from the boy wonder! When does Ulman for President kick-off anyway, I'm sick of all the waste and bloated spending by this O'Malley wannabe. Every time I turn around the "Ken is the Greatest"! society is blathering about some new promote Ken at taxpayer expense program, please somebody stop all of the self promotion and work for the citizens of Howard County for a change!

Posted 3:27 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user theliberal says...

Why can't people understand that private health insurance is so expensive that even the middle class cannot afford it if it is not offered by their employer? Lets not even discuss the impossibility of getting coverage if you have a preexisting condition... This Plan provides a much needed service to hard working HoCo residents. A family of four making $63K/yr. is not doing so through government handouts. They are WORKING for it!!! You want Ulman to "work for the citizens of Howard County." That is what he is doing. People that are on the bottom end of the income spectrum are citizens too. If the money allocated to Healthy Howard had not been given to them, it would have ended up going to some other community organization that you selfish conservatives probably wouldn't have liked either.

Posted 3:42 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user givemeabreak says...

When I was self-employed, I went out and purchased an individual plan from a private payor, and it was expensive, but not prohibitively expensive. Moreover, I knew that not having coverage was potentially more expensive in the long-run. Therefore, I budgeted my money and made it work; if it came down to cable, a cell phone, dinner out, etc. vs. paying for insurance, I would have made the smart choice and paid for coverage. Why can't people follow suit? I wasn't making a ton of money at that time, yet I had good coverage and no complaints. Additionally, why would you move to/remain in HoCo if you had to support a family of four on $63K per annum? That is just plain stupid. There are plenty of cheaper places to live with good schools. Yes, these folks are citizens too, so why can't they do their part and learn some fiscal restraint? Lastly, it is not about being conservative or liberal, it is about being fiscally sound and spending money on what works. This county is having budget issues, yet we spend our money and time on bunk programs like HHHP and drafting legislation regarding tanning beds. "You want Ulman to 'work for the citizens of Howard County." Wrong, I just want Ulman to go away.

Posted 4:42 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user tiredofthewaste says...

Last October, Dr. Bellenson estimated 2,000 subsrcibers to HHAP, in May he revised his estimate to 908 by july 2010. Now, he's exuberant about "MAYBE" 400 enrollees and we are on the doorstep of October 2009. So, if HHAP has a budget ot $2.8 million and $1.6 million is supposed to come from user fees, the budget is in the RED by $1.4 million and Howard County Ken keeps spending to promote the failure. Only Government would screw up like this!

Posted 5:46 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user alwaysright says...

OK, liberals never understand that unused tax money should NOT go to some other failed liberal program, but rather that it should go back to the tax payers. Anyway, here is the obvious reason that the uninsured do not use HHHP: anyone who is so poor and not able to buy health insurance can simply go to the Howard County General emergency room to get care! The simply truth is that this works better for these people. Using this program is like collecting food stamps - no one really wants to admit that they get food stamps. So, uninsured people probably don't want to be in a government program for the uninsured. True, every insured person pays for the uninsured who use emergency rooms. However, if you live in Howard County, then you ALSO get hit up by Ken Ulman to pay again. Remember this, liberal politicians never get judged on how well their programs work, they are only judged on how well-intentioned the programs are!!!

Posted 9:44 PM, 09.24.09 | Permalink

user independent says...

As I recall, the Republican administration used taxpayer money to bail out banks and insurance companies, contrary to the wishes of the voters based on crashing the fed gov't website with email complaints last year. We'll have the same problems until we stop voting party which is no different than voting based on shirt color or ethnicity in these days of two party spending. Vote out incumbents, regardless of party, as they are involved in our spending problems.

Posted 7:54 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user appletongue says...

I think the Healthy Howard Health Plan is awesome! Choose civility -- yes we are doing so with a program that addresses the health of the entire community not just those who can afford it. Way to go Ken Ulman and Peter Beilenson for thinking out of the box and being bold.

Posted 8:04 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user theliberal says...

Why do so many people call Healthy Howard a government handout? Its members pay fees. It is the antithesis of a handout. Not only do the members pay but they MUST participate in Health Coaching to improve their health. This in the long run will reduce the amount spent on each member's health care costs. This is exactly what the opposition to national health care don't want to speak about and what supporters have failed to explain. When someone has health care coverage, they are more likely to have major medical problems diagnosed early. This means they can be treated at a fraction of the price that would be paid if it were diagnosed in late stages of a disease. It is always at the late stages of disease that the uninsured person shows up at the emergency room turning what could have been solved with a $2,000 procedure into a $200,000 one. Perhaps instead of complaining that the county government return $2 to each person in the county and scrap the HHHP, you should urge your representatives to pass reform so you don't have to shoulder the cost of the uncountable $200,000 procedures.

Posted 8:24 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user whatever says...

User Alwaysright,seems to not be "right" on this one. It does not work better for people to go the emergency room if they have no insurance!!! Just because you get treatment at the emergency room,does NOT mean you get your prescription for free! Try going to the emergency room for something like pink eye and the eye drops cost 200 dollars for a little tiny bottle without any insurance.Who can afford that??? The reason a lot of people don't apply for these programs is that it is not only embarrassing,the forms you have to fill out and the information you have to provide is a ridiculous amount and they feel like they have to jump through hoops. I wanted to apply for Healthy Howard through their website and it said I probably wouldn't qualify so I didn't bother.

Posted 8:49 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user theliberal says...

The reason assistance programs require so much documentation is to make sure that tax dollars are not being wasted on people the programs are not designed to help. It only takes about 15 minutes of documentation collection on documents most people have in their home to get everything together for state and other programs. In most cases application processors will even hold your hand through the process. If you don't want to apply for help because you are too lazy to spend a little time to help yourself, then and only then do you not deserve help.

Posted 9:01 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user whatever says...

It is not such an easy process as you make it out to be,and the people you mention who "help" you apply and supposedly hold your hand are usually rude like people at the MVA and hardly want to help you because they are just like you and think that you're "Lazy". Not all documents needed ARE easily found in the home.Not every one has 4 pay check stubs on a whim (some people work for very small companies and get paid in cash and don't have a pay stub or maybe they throw theirs away) Sometimes tax documents are needed and you have send away for them and that can take at least two weeks. Don't make the assumption that I personally am lazy,because as I said,I applied online and was told I probably would not qualify! And both my husband and I work,and it is unfortunate our jobs do not offer insurance. Furthermore,to the person who said you go without cable so you can afford healthcare~nice try.I don't have cable and only pay 30 dollars for internet,is that 30 bucks going to be able to afford me health insurance? I think not.

Posted 9:17 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user givemeabreak says...

"yes we are doing so with a program that addresses the health of the entire community not just those who can afford it." 400 people is the entire community? That $2.8M could go to good use elsewhere and actually assist the community. "When someone has health care coverage, they are more likely to have major medical problems diagnosed early." This is a myth. I know plenty of people that are insured up to their eyeballs, and they never go to the doctor unless they are in real trouble. It's dumb, but it's the truth. "Try going to the emergency room for something like pink eye and the eye drops cost 200 dollars for a little tiny bottle without any insurance.Who can afford that???" The people who use the ER as primary care don't have to afford it. They simply just refuse to pay the bill, so the hospital has to write the debt off and put the lost money on the uncompensated care ledger. Again, live in an area that you can afford, don't have more kids than you can afford, and do everyone a favor and buy insurance. I know that our health care system is broken, and I am all for reform, but it must be real reform, not just throwing money around w/o performing due diligence. The HoCo braintrust didn't look b/f it leaped, and now we have a lemon that is being portrayed as lemonade nationally.

Posted 9:27 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user givemeabreak says...

$30 bucks might not buy you insurance, but moving into a cheaper community would certainly free up money for insurance. I know people that pay $150/month for an individual plan, and I have a self-employed friend that bought a plan that covers him, his wife, and their 2 kids for around $360/month. That's not cheap, I know, but it can be done.

Posted 9:31 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user commonsenseplease says...

Pathetic attempt by the County Executive to be relevant. Bring in a stud Health Director, inflate the problem, create a program and throw good money after bad when it doesn't work. Just give those 400 people a few hundred bucks a month and tell them to go buy insurance. I guess that wouldn't get the County Exec on TV.

Posted 9:35 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user whatever says...

360 dollars is a big difference then 30 dollars.Yes moving to a cheaper area might help,but in Maryland there are not many cheaper areas besides the city and that's not going to happen where there is a murder almost daily. I'm just going to move out of this state when I can afford to do so.Which hopefully won't be much longer.Maryland is fast becoming too expensive for anyone who is not rich to be able live any kind of real life.

Posted 9:42 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user theliberal says...

There is no way that $360/month buys a family of four comprehensive coverage. Even on an employer plan, the employer often pays around $1,200/month for comprehensive coverage. Privately, you are looking at $1,800 - $2,500 for true comprehensive health insurance. $360 only buys you a high deductible plan. When you get hospitalized, you have to cough up $5,000 - $10,000 to pay the deductible. People that can't afford private insurance or don't have the type of job that provides it often do not have $10k laying around. The scariest part is they have enrolled their children in this type of risky plan. They really should look into the Maryland Children's Health Plan to at least make sure their children have comprehensive coverage.

Posted 9:52 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user givemeabreak says...

I just went on UHC/Golden Rule's website, and I could buy a plan that covered me, my wife, and 2 ficticious kids. With a $1500 deductible and $0 for coinsurance, it came out to $359.80/ month. Golden Rule was the insurer I used when I was self-employed, and every provider took my insurance and I had a great experience.

Posted 10:10 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user appletongue says...

Who will argue that providing health care to the working uninsured is a bad thing? Most of the care HHHP members receive is provided pro-bono by wonderful forward thinking providers that also agree prevention is cheaper that treatment. I still applaud Ulman and Peilenson for being pioneers.

Posted 2:25 PM, 09.25.09 | Permalink