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Background of FHCE
Based in San Mateo, California, the Foundation for Health Coverage Education's (FHCE) efforts began in 2002 with Executive Director Phil Lebherz's quest to understand the uninsured problem in California and beyond.
Industry research by such reputable organizations as the Congressional Budget Office, the California Health Care Foundation, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and other non-profits and think-tanks, all pointed to one key problem—many individuals are eligible for benefits or programs and are not signed up. To view copies of these reports, refer to “The Uninsured” section of this website.
When Phil learned that both professionals and consumers lacked user-friendly information about affordability and eligibility to public and private health coverage, he started the FHCE and immediately began developing educational tools, launching the first and most popular guide, the California Health Care Options Matrix™ Guide in mid-2003.
In 2005, the FHCE became a non-profit 501(c)3 private organization and continued developing other educational tools: the Finding Health Coverage in California™ consumer booklet (available in English and Spanish), the Health Coverage Eligibility Web Quizl™ and the toll-free US Uninsured Help Line™.
The FHCE's original mission was to focus on the uninsured population in California; however, news about the Matrix and Help Line traveled fast and many states began asking the FHCE for versions based on their state's options. In response to the demand, the FHCE developed a customized Matrix for every state in the nation and provided each state's organization of insurance professionals with a beginning supply. As of March 2006, all states have a Matrix guide in circulation and an expanded Help Line service is in the works.
As part of the strategy to quickly educate as many people as possible, the FHCE began working with professional organizations such as the California Association of Health Underwriters, the National Association of Health Underwriters, the California Social Workers Association, and others to enlist members' help with distribution/education aimed at consumers.
The distribution and funding of the FHCE tools could not be possible without the generous donations from private individuals and corporations, other non-profits, and some of the nation’s most well-known insurance companies such as Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, WellPoint Foundation, Kaiser, and Health Net.
Director Biography
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About Phil Lebherz, Executive DirectorPhil has been working in the field of health insurance benefits for nearly thirty years. He is the founder and CEO of LISI, a company that provides sales support services for employee benefits insurance brokers. LISI is one of the largest and most successful companies of its kind. Phil is extremely passionate about making a difference in the U.S. health care system and is committed to helping educate consumers and professionals alike. He has been featured in numerous health care, business, news and consumer publications across the country and has been interviewed on television and radio programs across the state. Phil's no-nonsense explanation about access to health care, the uninsured, and group health trends make him a much sought-after speaker and consultant. |
| He is well-known for his expertise, innovative thinking and enthusiasm for a free market and his sound advice has helped a great number of consumers and businesses achieve success and financial security. Phil resides in the Bay Area peninsula with his wife and four children where he is an active member of his local school board and participates in many community projects. | ||
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About Ankeny Minoux, PresidentAnkeny Minoux is president of the Foundation for Health Coverage Education (FHCE), a non-profit organization based in California. FHCE evolved in response to the growing number of uninsured Californians. The FHCE mission is to simplify public and private health insurance eligibility information in order to help more people access coverage. As president, Ankeny manages all the Foundation’s operations including FHCE’s call center and its most popular tool: the U.S. Uninsured Help Line. She also manages public relations, accounting, marketing, product design and development as well as the online presence. (www.coverageforall.org) Previous to her work at FHCE, Ankeny worked at KPMG, LLC in the Audit Group specializing in high tech companies in the San Francisco Bay area. |
Ankeny graduated from St. Mary’s College of California with a major in Accounting and a minor in Business. She resides with her husband in the Bay area and is active in community service including the Junior League of San Francisco. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. |
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About Anthem Blue Cross Foundation
The Anthem Blue Cross Foundation is a private, non-profit organization wholly funded by WellPoint, Inc. Through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes WellPoint's inherent commitment to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that WellPoint serves. The Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, and its affiliated foundations across 14 states, focus on initiatives that improve accessibility and affordability of health care, improve quality of care, support the development of health-related public policy, and help establish best practices in medicine. Through almost $1 million in grants provided over the past two years to FHCE, the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation fueled the launch of the Uninsured Call Center, the Uninsured Matrix and other outreach programs and education materials aimed at the uninsured.
Annual Report
FHCE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The December, 31 year-end annual report provides a description of the significant milestones achieved throughout the year, the current position of FHCE at year end and the foundation’s plan for the upcoming year.
FHCE Statistics
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263,480 people have visited this Web site during the months of January 2007 through April 2008.
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24,041 people have called the U.S. Uninsured Help Line™ since the inception of the call center in February 2005 through April 30, 2008.
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348,859,898 people have heard our message by way of the radio and television public service announcements, newspaper and magazine articles since the launch of the “Coverage for All” campaign in January 2005 to January 2008.
| * | Please note: Due to the number of public programs being created and/or changed, tools may not include all plans. The tools and services on this website should be used as a starting point for general information. Seek professional advice about specific plans and programs from representatives of those organizations. |