The holiday season is now upon us.  And while this time of year is supposed to be a joyous time spent with family and friends, I find myself reflecting on the lives of people that find the holiday season to be just another reminder of their economic circumstance.  The underserved – particularly those at or below the poverty level – will experience the holidays in a much different way. With more and more families facing job loss as a result of the recession, many will not have Thanksgiving feasts…many will be struggling to find ways to “make the season bright” for their children.  Many are turning to the social services available within their community just to make it through another month.

Throughout my time at CareSource and with Ohio’s Medicaid program, I’ve learned to have a deep appreciation for the challenges faced by the underserved.  Sure, we can try to conceptualize what a day in the life of someone living in poverty is like, but CareSource has exposed me to a much more profound way to think about the priorities of the underserved…and they did this by proactively organizing an interactive event for CareSource employees called the “Poverty Simulator.”

Because our company prides itself on helping the underserved better their lives by improving their health care, our organization does some pretty unique things to help us appreciate the challenges our members face each day – and how they prioritize getting their most basic needs met.  This Poverty Simulator – organized by Think Tank, a non-profit organization that strives to build communities where all people can thrive – does just that…it allowed us to put ourselves in the shoes of our members through role-play, to gain a fuller appreciation of barriers that often preclude them from accessing health care services responsibly.  It’s all done in an effort to teach us why our members make the decisions they make; ask the question they ask; need the support services they need; and where their health care fits in to the grand scheme of things they consider vital… Why? All so we can better serve them.

We’ve held this event four times this year for our employees who have described the event as “heart-wrenching,” “mind-blowing” and “eye-opening.” The simulator has been so enlightening that we included it as part of an event we hosted on Capitol Hill that allowed health care experts and interested parties to experience it firsthand. The purpose was for those following and influencing the health care debate to gain a better understanding of how poverty impacts the way people prioritize and access health care – even if it is made available to them at no cost.

It’s so easy to make general assumptions about why people make the decisions they make.  But quite frankly, until you actually walk in the shoes of the underserved, it is very difficult to appreciate the complexities of living in poverty.  Please take a few minutes to see what the Poverty Simulator is all about.  I think you’ll find it offers a unique and profound approach for helping organizations understand the needs of its customers, and how CareSource excels at building a culture of compassion, dignity and excellence.

CareSource is among the largest non-profit, public sector health plans in America with a scalable model ideal for health care reform.

One Response to “The Holidays are a Time for Reflection”

1. Stephanie Hunter says:

   November 29, 2009 at 2:32 pm

   Great post and the video is extremely eye-opening! Thanks for all the good work that you are doing!

Author : Toni Bigby

Consumer Advocacy at CareSource Over 11 years of experience working with Ohio’s Medicaid program promoting the importance and availability of health care coverage for Ohio’s underserved populations; Responsible for working with statewide consumer advocacy groups to advance key initiatives to provide value-added benefits to CareSource members; Charged with engaging members to bring their voice to the forefront to inform internal business operations