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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Camila Gallardo
cgallardo@nclr.org
(305) 215-4259
Undersecretary of Education Jamienne Studley and Congressman Joe Garcia to join groups in push for enrollment
MIAMI—On Saturday, March 15, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., NCLR (National Council of La Raza) and COFFO (Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations) will host a health screening and health insurance enrollment event for the local community. March 31 is the deadline to enroll in the new insurance health plans made available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Those who do not enroll during this first phase will have to wait until open enrollment resumes next November. Leading Latino groups have stepped up to encourage Hispanics, the most uninsured ethnic group in the nation, to get online and explore their options for affordable health insurance plans.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 10.2 million Latinos who are currently uninsured qualify for coverage under the new health law. Many of them will be eligible for plans than can cost less than $100 a month, while others—as many as four in five Hispanics—may qualify for assistance with covering health insurance costs.
The all-day event will pair up attendees with patient navigators (individuals trained to walk applicants through the enrollment process) and give them the option of completing their enrollment on site. Congressman Joe García (D–Fla.) will address participants in the morning, highlighting the importance of health coverage and new benefits available through the ACA. Free blood pressure and diabetes screenings will be available to all attendees.
Individuals interested in signing up for assistance from a trained patient navigator should call (305) 246-0357 to make an appointment.
Media are encouraged to attend—great photo and interview opportunities available. To confirm your attendance, please contact Camila Gallardo at (305) 215-4259.
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT:
NCLR, COFFO health insurance enrollment event and health screenings
WHEN:
Enrollment event begins at 9:00 a.m., Undersecretary Jamienne Studley and Congressman Joe Garcia to speak at 10:30 a.m.
WHERE:
COFFO
778 West Palm Drive
Florida City, FL 33034
WHO:
Undersecretary of Education Jamienne Studley
Congressman Joe Garcia
Arturo Lopez, Executive Director, COFFO
Claudia Millar, Project Coordinator, Institute for Hispanic Health, NCLR
Enroll America representatives
Patient navigators
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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