Health navigators are available in Wichita to help people complete applications for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace before Friday's enrollment deadline.
One of the community sites offering free, in-person enrollment assistance is the La Familia Senior/Community Center north of downtown Wichita. A bilingual health navigator is taking appointments through Friday to help people get signed up for a health plan.
La Familia executive director Carla Lee says this is the third year the organization has offered the one-on-one assistance.
"We have been trying to target the Hispanic community, and people there who might be underinsured, uninsured or wish to reconsider and look at other [health insurance] options," Lee says.
Lee says if people are not eligible for marketplace health insurance, her staff provides referrals to Medicaid and other community health services.
"We have many, many people who are uninsured or underinsured, so our mission here is to help people get health care, " she says.
La Familia is a community partner in the statewide Cover Kansas Coalition, a group working to reduce the rate of uninsured in Kansas.
The Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved received a grant to sponsor health navigators at community partners around the state through the Cover Kansas Coalition.
The Cover Kansas Coalition’s mission is to build awareness, facilitate enrollment and promote health insurance literacy through collaboration, education and engagement in an effort to reduce the rate of uninsured in Kansas.
Health insurance enrollment help is also available at:
- Wichita: GraceMed Helen Galloway Health Clinic, E.C. Tyree Health and Dental Clinic, HealthCore Clinic, Project Access—Colvin and Project Access—Oaklawn Senior Center
- Newton: Health Ministries Clinic
- Winfield: Community Health Center
- Hutchinson: Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
It's estimated that 9 to 10 million people currently have coverage through the ACA's marketplaces. The marketplaces allow people to use income-based tax credits to buy a single or family individual insurance plan if they don't get coverage through work. Those subsidies cover part or all of the bill, capping insurance costs at a percentage of income for those who are eligible.
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