More than two hundred community members have received assistance from the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute’s (GRAAHI) Affordable Care Act (ACA) education specialists and calls for appointments continue to rise.
“We’re working with individuals and families to help them make the best health care choices,” said GRAAHI executive director Shannon Wilson. “Anyone that needs to better understand their options can contact us and we will provide individual or group education sessions at no charge.”
While the ACA Marketplace got off to a slow start, since it came back online, GRAAHI’s help center has seen call volume drastically increase. The most common questions are related to cost and eligibility, but GRAAHI also offers guidance on Medicare, Medicaid, and the plan’s affordability for college students. GRAAHI suggests that people collect all their important documents before starting the enrollment process.
GRAAHI continues to see clients by appointment. “We have a refugee family coming in soon with an interpreter and their social worker. Their children are U.S. citizens and they need help with enrollment,” said Wilson.
Wilson expects calls for education will continue to grow as the enrollment deadline approaches. Those who wish to have health coverage start on January 1, 2014, must enroll by December 15, 2013. The final enrollment deadline is March 31, 2014.
Anyone interested in receiving help from GRAAHI with ACA Marketplace enrollment can call 616-331-5831 or e-mail [email protected].
GRAAHI is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote health care parity in the Grand Rapids African American community through advocacy, education, and research, to achieve positive health outcomes which are funded by numerous entities committed to the same mission.
Source: Grand Rapids African American Health Institute
