Aug. 20, 2026
The Health Federation of Philadelphia was awarded a two-year, $400,000 grant from The Barra Foundation to test whether a proactive, technology-enabled system can help health center patients who are insured by Medicaid maintain health coverage amid new administrative barriers.
This system will identify individuals at risk of losing coverage because of new federal work requirements, six-month eligibility redeterminations and other restrictions, and connect patients with personalized enrollment assistance, with the goal of determining whether this support can reduce preventable Medicaid coverage losses among low-income health center patients.
“The new rules to be implemented in January 2027 have the potential to leave many thousands of low-income, working families without health insurance, and to devastate community health centers, which will be faced with increasing numbers of uninsured patients and significant loss of revenue,” said Suzanne Cohen, HFP’s Senior Director for Population Health. “We are grateful for The Barra Foundation’s support that is enabling us to test solutions to mitigate this impending disaster.”
Medicaid is a government program that provides free or low-cost health coverage to millions of eligible low-income adults and children. Under new federal restrictions passed in last year’s HR 1, more than 300,000 Pennsylvania residents, including more than 100,000 from the Philadelphia region, could lose coverage due to increased bureaucratic hurdles, even though they remain eligible for insurance.
The Health Federation project will target Medicaid patients receiving care at participating Philadelphia-area community health centers. Rather than waiting until patients lose coverage, the initiative will implement a proactive, technology-enabled system that identifies patients at risk, connecting them with personalized enrollment assistance, and equipping health centers with workflows to prevent avoidable coverage loss. An estimated 5,000 patients will be assisted over two years in an effort to maintain their coverage.
This approach will include multiple steps: identifying patients with upcoming Medicaid redetermination dates; proactively contacting patients via text and phone calls before coverage expires, encouraging them to connect with individualized support resources; and refining workflows as Pennsylvania implements the new eligibility policies. Philadelphia-area FQHCs have been invited to apply to participate via a request for applications, which closes Aug. 28.
The Barra Foundation awarded this grant in June to the Health Federation to support this initiative through Barra’s Catalyst Fund, which supports early-stage, novel approaches that have the potential to result in durable, transformative and equitable change, particularly in under-resourced communities in the greater Philadelphia region. The Barra Foundation invests in innovation to inspire change that strengthens communities in the Greater Philadelphia region, providing approximately $4 million in annual grants that are focused on supporting innovation in and across the fields of arts and culture, education, and health and human services.
The Health Federation serves as a keystone organization that supports a network of community health centers. The organization’s Population Health Department leads quality improvement and systems transformation efforts across health centers and other networks with a focus on equity and access, and the Health Federation’s Health Center Controlled Network supports 35 health centers across Pennsylvania, providing network-level and individualized technology and operational assistance.
For more information regarding this initiative, please email hhainsworth@healthfederation.org.
--
About the Health Federation of Philadelphia
The Health Federation of Philadelphia is a public health nonprofit that promotes community health by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, comprehensive health and human services.
The Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver healthcare, public health and human services to vulnerable populations.