Beaufort business group working to get the word out on Obamacare enrollment

Aug. 21--Given the uncertainty surrounding whether the federal government will provide money to help directly promote Obamacare enrollment efforts, the Beaufort Black Chamber of Commerce is working to make sure local residents have the information they need to sign-up for health insurance.

According to a recent Post and Courier report, the chamber is partnering with the Charleston-based Palmetto Project in hopes of using grant money to launch marketing campaigns to encourage enrollment.

"You have to get the word out for everyone to sign up," Larry Holman, president of the chamber, told the Post and Courier.

In past years, the organization has received federal "navigator grants" to help get locals enrolled in insurance programs. Those grants are expected to renewed next month, but Holman said he doesn't know how much his group will get, according to the Post and Courier.

The open enrollment period -- which is much shorter this year than in the past -- starts Nov.1 and runs through Dec. 15.

Despite the shorter enrollment time and concerns about rising Affordable Care Act premiums and funding for enrollment efforts, Holman told the Post and Courier that he doesn't believe Obamacare will crumble without direct sabotage by the Trump administration.

"It can't just collapse on its own," he told the Post and Courier.

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