Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins today. To mark the beginning of enrollment, organizations within Missouri are making the complex issue easier to understand for people who are under-covered or want to learn more about healthcare.
Cover Missouri, a program with the Missouri Foundation for Health, will host enrollment events throughout the enrollment process.
Scott Miniea, the Central Hub Coordinator for Cover Missouri, said the purpose of the events is to get under-covered groups signed up for healthcare before the December deadline.
“Communities, that are less likely to have health coverage because they either think they can’t afford it or they don’t know that there is financial assistance available. Or if they just listen to the news, no one can be blamed for thinking that the Affordable Care Act has been done away with,” Miniea said.
These informational events will be held at places such as the Yin Yang Night Club in Columbia on Thursday and at the Daniel Boone Regional Library on Saturday.
Beyond underrepresented groups, Miniea said that people can be averse to signing up for insurance through the marketplace just because of the political conversation around the Affordable Care Act.
“Quite often that’s the case, so we have to overcome their objections, and we tell them that what we’re here to do is to help people," Miniea said. "When we sit down with someone, it’s pretty rare that someone is upset when they see what we can provide for them."
Open enrollment continues until December 15.