Adelante Healthcare Mesa was proud to host a gathering of government officials and health care professionals yesterday that sets the stage for nearly 1 million uninsured Arizonans to discover and use the Health Insurance Marketplace opening October 1.
Four organizations in Arizona have been awarded $2.1 million by Health & Human Services to act as “Navigators” for the Health Insurance Marketplace. These Navigators will provide face-to-face assistance for those who may need or want help filling out the on-line application. Many lack internet access, some lack confidence in working with on-line platforms and many more have not yet been reached with the message that new, affordable options for health insurance will be available.
Yesterday’s meeting was a first chance to meet one another, begin coordinating efforts and to talk with elected officials about how to engage the community in the coming changes.
The grantees are:
- The Arizona Association of Community Health Centers will coordinate activities through their network of 17 community health centers who serve more than a half million people throughout the state. Adelante Healthcare will be part of this effort.
- The Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona has been awarded a grant for The Center for Rural Health to reduce the number of uninsured in Pima County
- The Greater Phoenix Urban League includes the need for insurance and quality healthcare as integral to achieving economic and social equality and will be working statewide
- Campesinos Sin Fronteras provides services to farm workers and low-income Hispanics as well as the general population and will work through their networks to raise awareness and participation in Yuma County
You’ll be seeing more information about the roll-out of the Health Insurance Marketplace in the coming weeks. We’ll talk about why this effort is important and how it helps all of us (whether we already have insurance or not). And if you visit one of our health centers, you’ll see how we’re gearing up to help our communities as the Marketplace launches on October 1.
In the meantime, to learn more about the coming changes, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has a great website at http://www.Healthcare.gov or visit the Kaiser Family Foundation at http://www.kff.org/health-reform