Rolling Out Covers Laz Alonso in Chicago Encouraging Residents to Enroll in Healthcare

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) February 26, 2014

Actor Laz Alonso visited iconic Chicago landmarks on the eve of Valentine's Day to encourage Chicagoans to get health care coverage.

“The Affordable Care Act provides a historic opportunity to close the gap of the uninsured and reduce health disparities that disproportionately affect minority communities,” said Jennifer Koehler, executive director for Get Covered Illinois. “Black History Month is an important opportunity to address health barriers impacting the African American community and remind uninsured residents of the affordable, comprehensive coverage options available to them.”

As of Dec. 28, 2013, more than 61,111 Illinois residents have signed up for coverage through the Marketplace. Individuals, families and small business owners have until March 31 to enroll in a health plan before receiving a fine.

Nearly one third of blacks in Illinois are uninsured. Blacks are impacted by greater health disparities compared to other races and ethnicities for a number of reasons, including lack of access to affordable health care. Blacks are twice as likely as whites to be diagnosed with diabetes, and are disproportionately impacted by cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insurance coverage is strongly related to better health outcomes.

Visit rolling out to see the Chicago hot spots Laz Alonso visited.

About Rolling Out Magazine:
Rolling Out, the nation's largest free urban weekly, is a digital and print magazine that focuses on the black experience in response to entertainment, politics, fashion, culture, sports and lifestyle points of interest. Headquartered in Atlanta, rolling out is positioned as the voice for the African American experience, using its newspaper as a platform in the marketplace to express urgency for education reform, and to document entrepreneurial endeavors and other relevant issues in the Diaspora. For information on rolling out, please log on to rollingout.com.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/02/prweb11600286.htm