With only one week left before the federal deadline, Community Healthcare Network is holding three events to sign up New Yorkers – many who are still uninsured – for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
“This is an important deadline not just for your health but for your pocketbook,” said Catherine Abate, CHN’s President and CEO. “Most New Yorkers must enroll in a qualified health plan this year or could face a penalty. Moreover, having health insurance reduces the astronomical medical costs that one might incur from a hospitalization if something should happen to them or a family member.”
Community Healthcare Network has trained bilingual community outreach educators able to assist people with education, selecting the right coverage, and applying for insurance. The educators work in neighborhoods throughout NYC where a vast amount of uninsured individuals reside.
“These events aim to help those individuals who need more education on health insurance, the ACA, and the importance of primary health care. We hope people will come to learn and get the hands-on help they need with enrolling online,” said Abate.
To date, nearly 670,000 people have signed up for insurance in New York. More than 70% of those who signed up for health insurance using the insurance exchange – New York State of Health – had no insurance at the time they enrolled, according to state officials.
Since the NY State of Health marketplace launched on Oct. 1 last year, nearly one million people have completed applications and nearly 670,000 have enrolled for coverage. After March 31, the next period to enroll will be November 15th for coverage that starts the following year.
Community Healthcare Network will hold three events in the final week of March to enroll New Yorkers before the March 31st deadline. Advance registration is not required. The events are:
Monday March 24th / 4pm to 7pm
Queens Health Center
97-04 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435
Saturday, March 29th / 8:30am to 3:30pm
Long Island City Health Center
36-11 21st Street, Long Island City, NY 11106
CHN advises that anyone who wants to sign up for insurance needs to bring a New York State photo identification, social security card and four recent pay stubs. Individuals who are non-residents or were recently granted residency or a legally present status within the US should bring their green card, work visa or resident card.
For more information, visit www.chnnyc.org or call 866-246-8259.
About Community Healthcare Network
Community Healthcare Network (CHN) is a not-for-profit organization providing access to affordable, culturally-competent and comprehensive community-based primary care, dental, nutrition, mental health and social services for diverse populations in underserved communities throughout New York City. CHN serves more than 75,000 individuals a year who would otherwise have little or no access to critical health care. CHN is composed of eleven Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and NCQA designated Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) and a mobile health unit. CHN earned Meaningful Use attestation for the advanced state of its Health Information Technology (Electronic Health Records). To learn more about CHN visit our website at www.chnnyc.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.