A Closer Look at Medicaid Call Center Options as the Unwinding Kicks into High Gear

Automated phone systems, when well designed, can efficiently provide information or direct callers to a person who can help. But if a phone tree has too many options or tries to convey too much information, it makes it difficult for people to get the help they need. A new blog post from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families details the findings from two rounds of calls to state Medicaid call centers to see what consumers encounter when they call the hotline. Specifically, the authors wanted to know if the call center offers a call back option; prompts for non-English speakers; a separate dial option to update contact information; or reports the approximate wait time or the caller’s place in a queue. The blog post features a map to see which of the four key call center features each state has implemented as they unwind the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement.