Health Reform Outreach Begins In Md.
By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun |
In one example, 200 Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders were brought together in
The state will begin more aggressive steps, including a door-to-door effort to reach the most vulnerable residents, later in the summer and early fall, ahead of the October opening of the enrollment period for
"Outreach is not only important but really critical to our success," said
The success of President
The federal law, which goes into full effect in January, aims to spread the cost of health care while working on ways to deliver it more efficiently. But it has been opposed by congressional Republicans and other critics who say it will drive up health care costs for many Americans, even those who have insurance now. The
Surveys have shown that many Americans do not understand the Affordable Care Act -- which has been nicknamed Obamacare -- or think they won't be able to afford insurance.
Under the law, most people will still have coverage under an employer's plan. The uninsured can buy coverage on a state exchange, or open marketplace, beginning in October. Individuals and companies would have to pay a penalty to opt out.
The national effort dubbed "Get Covered America" starts Sunday with plans to use many of the grass-roots techniques that Obama employed to win the presidency. The campaign will organize an army of volunteers for door-to-door outreach and canvassing at festivals, farmers' markets and community events across the country.
State officials estimate that one-third of uninsured Marylanders will gain coverage under the Obama health initiative in its first year. Those living on less than 138 percent of the federally established poverty level -- about
Some people will qualify for federal subsidies to offset the cost of premiums.
"I think there is still a misconception that health insurance is unattainable, that it is too expensive," said
Bishop
Churches can be an important proponent of the health care initiative because they have a captive audience of congregants, Miles said. "The hope is, faith leaders will address it from the pulpit and in small groups in their churches and invite in ambassadors who are trained lay people who can share with their congregation what the Affordable Care Act can do for their families," he said.
His
Leaders from
"They are a key constituency since they touch the uninsured every day," she said.
Using
"What we are doing is building a store, and we need as many people to come to the store as possible," Pearce said. "We know across the country that four in 10 people are still unsure of what the Affordable Care Act offers them. It is our job to educate people on the importance of health insurance and what the Affordable Care Act has to offer them."
HealthCare Access Maryland in
HealthCare Access will partner with other groups to visit festivals and community organizations and canvass neighborhoods. It will also staff a hot line to answer questions. Details of the outreach efforts, which are to begin this summer, are still being worked out.
"We want to blanket these three counties," Westcoat said. "We will deploy people to a wide variety of places."
The state's outreach will include efforts to find hard-to-reach populations, with the use of bilingual materials for immigrant communities.
A consultant who works with small businesses said convincing people about the benefits of the Obama health care initiative will be a tough job.
Leaders of the national outreach campaign acknowledge that the effort won't be easy.
"We know it's a big task," said
Filipic, a former
Enroll America is also working with hospitals, health clinics and physician groups to train medical professionals to educate patients about enrolling in health insurance. For example, Doctors for America, a nonprofit that pressed
Filipic said Enroll America will start a paid media campaign later this year.
Filipic would not say how much the group plans to spend on the outreach effort or what many of its corporate partners will do to assist. An official with Enroll America said the budget would be "in the tens of millions" of dollars.
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