The goal is to enroll as many uninsured African-Americans as possible by the enrollment deadline.
As the enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act begins to wind down, the National Medical Association has joined forces with African-American churches and the grassroots campaign Enroll America to encourage the uninsured to sign up. They also will educate Blacks about the various financial options available to help cover the cost of health-care coverage. Currently one in five African-Americans under the age of 65 are uninsured.
“NMA physicians will attend events at African-American churches and help the uninsured understand the long-term ramifications of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer,” NMA President Michael Lenoir said at a Monday press conference held in Washington, D.C., to announce the partnership. “We’ll provide screenings for blood pressure and other illnesses to help punctuate the absolute dire need for the uninsured to pursue opportunities for health-insurance coverage. They must understand that they have options.”
The partnership will focus on 11 states that have the highest populations of African-Americans and the largest number of uninsured Americans. They include Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.
“Many of the states were not receiving a lot of support in terms of outreach efforts and also have a high concentration of African-Americans and Latinos in large, major urban cities like Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta. We couldn’t see not making sure we’re reaching the critical populations as it relates to the Affordable Care Act,” Etoy Ridgnal, who heads Enroll America’s African-American engagement and faith-based initiatives, told BET.com.
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: BET
Joyce Jones
BCNN1 WP 