Georgia Groups Reaching Out to Uninsured Hispanics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
There’s a push to get Georgia’s Hispanic population ready for upcoming changes in the country’s health care system. The largest health insurer in Georgia is attempting to help the state's Hispanic community register for the Affordable Care Act. WABE's John Lorinc reports.
State records show there are nearly 850,000 Hispanics living in Georgia. Health officials say many of them are without proper medical coverage.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia has joined forces with Univision and other organizations to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act.
Enrollment for the program starts October 1.
“We’re doing our best to shed some light on what’s probably a very uncertain time for a lot of folks. Obviously, we would hope that they would choose Blue Cross and Blue Shield for that coverage, but they’ll be able to look at their options and then go onto the federally run exchange program to select their options for coverage,” says Bert Kelly, a spokesman for the health insurance company.
There have been numerous information-based events this year, featuring doctors and other medical officials throughout the state.
They’re hoping to make the registration process as clear as possible.
“Here in Georgia, about 18% of the Latinos that don’t currently have insurance are going to be eligible to go into the new Obamacare,” says Marvin Arevalo, a multicultural marketing manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield.
There’s been a lot of interest within the community.
“Everytime we attend an event, we get a lot of families, we get a lot of individuals coming in to understand. We have a lot of inquires,” says Heidy Guzman, with the Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia.
On Saturday afternoon, there will be another educational summit at the Latin American Association Auditorium on Buford Highway.
People of all ethnic backgrounds are welcome to attend.
9(MDAxODM0MDY4MDEyMTY4NDA3MzI3YjkzMw004))
Top Stories
