Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is now offering its Medicaid members in Los Angeles and San Diego counties the opportunity to earn their GED diploma at no cost, a first of its kind program in the state.
"We're committed to addressing the various social factors affecting members' health, and we know that lack of education is a social barrier," Jennifer Schirmer, vice president of growth and community engagement at Blue Shield's Promise Health Plan, told Becker's. "By removing that barrier and offering this program, it can really help improve career prospects and opportunities that many people may not have even considered or been qualified for."
Launched in January, the new digital GEDWorks program allows Blue Shield Medi-Cal members to register online for access to GED study materials in English and Spanish, and receive online support through one-to-one tutoring, practice tests and personal advisor access. The program also offers assistance with career and college planning, and most participants complete the course in four months, according to a news release.
Ms. Schirmer said the payer is hopeful all qualified members will take advantage of the new offering, which has been in development since last year. She noted that recent research has found more than 90% of Medicaid recipients use smartphones, which is where the new GED program can be accessed. Blue Shield is also partnered with L.A. Care to offer GED services and support at 14 community resource centers in Los Angeles County.
The program comes as the Los Angeles Unified School District reported its high school graduation rate dropping from 86% in 2022 to 83.6% in 2023.
"We really felt that education, and a lack thereof, is a root cause that leads to other social determinants of health like food and housing insecurity," Ms. Schirmer said. "Identifying and diving into a program that helps support that root cause will really help our members and open doors that otherwise wouldn't have been there."
As of 2022, Blue Shield has 530,000 Medi-Cal members in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.