Obamacare enrollment lags in most needy communities

July 24--White Dayton area residents have enrolled in Obamacare health plans by a margin of nearly 8 to 1, compared to residents of local black and Hispanic communities besieged by the highest rates of diabetes, some cancers and premature death, according to recently released figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

More than 17,600 whites in the nine-county Miami Valley region have enrolled in health plans over the past two years through Ohio's health insurance marketplace, while just over 2,200 blacks and Hispanics combined have signed up for coverage since the marketplace was launched in 2013 under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, HHS figures show.

The cavernous gap underscores the need to raise awareness in the most under-served communities about the subsidized coverage available through the marketplace before the next open enrollment period begins Nov. 1, according to Trey Daly, Ohio director for the nonprofit Enroll America, which helps people get coverage under the health care law.

"We know (from surveys) that six out of 10 of the uninsured didn't look at the marketplace at all, and more than that were unaware of the financial assistance that was available," Daly said, during a press conference Thursday at the public library in the predominantly black Madden Hills neighborhood. "Our job is to make sure people have the information they need."

Daly said the purpose of the media event was to inform as well as motivate advocates for the uninsured to become certified enrollment assistors, or application counselors who help people fill out applications, compare health plans and ultimately sign up for coverage through the marketplace.

"We're here today to bring together folks from the Dayton area who have been involved in outreach and enrollment and also to pull in other folks who have regular contact with uninsured people but who haven't really been involved in outreach and enrollment before because we know that people who get one-on-one assistance are twice as likely to successfully enroll as people who try to do it on their own," he said.

As part of his overall message, Daly highlighted how a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage is having far-reaching impacts in Ohio and across the country, including triggering a special enrollment period under the health care act.

Marriage, like childbirth, adoption or moving to a new coverage area, is among the "qualifying life events" that creates the special enrollment period.

"If a same-sex couple gets married between now and Nov. 1, they don't have to wait until the enrollment period begins," Daly said. "They can go onto the marketplace, pick a plan and qualify for financial assistance."

According the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 10 million Americans have obtained coverage through their state's health insurance marketplaces, including about 188,000 Ohioans. And more than 80 percent, both nationally and in Ohio, receive tax credits to help pay their premiums.

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