This is the kick off of a very important 45 days for Black women and our health and wellness. It is the first day of the open enrollment period for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Last year the enrollment period for 2017 lasted until December 30, 2016. By cutting the enrollment period to December 15, 2017, and reducing the outreach and marketing budget by 90%, there is a blatant and deliberate effort to keep Black women and their families from having health insurance and access to care. We cannot standby and allow this to happen.
How it impacts us:
- Preventative care is essential to our health and wellness.
- Uninsured women without health insurance are more likely to die from preventable causes than women who have health insurance.
- The lack of ability to afford medical care, whether it be doctor visits, screenings, diagnostics and treatment, as well as prescription medications, and other medical expenses are the single leading cause of bankruptcy in this country.
So, I am asking you to reach out to the Black women in your circle of family members, co-workers, and sister-friends to urge them to enroll in care now. There is a sense of urgency as open enrollment began on November 1, 2017 and ends on December 15, 2017. You can enroll online by going to www.Healthcare.gov.
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is taking on the charge of spreading the word. We have a campaign that will be taking place on social media, traditional media and of course on our site, www.bwhi.org. If you haven’t subscribed, please do so you can get the latest information on open enrollment and our other efforts that are important to Black women. And please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We will be posting daily. Feel free to share our posts with your network and please join our Thunderclap: https://thndr.me/xtw37r. We want to track how well we are spreading the word, so please include our hastags #GetCovered and #EnrollHer17.
As our first post on social media says, Don’t Take Our Stuff! It is Black women’s right to have access to safe, affordable and quality care and coverage.
If you do nothing else during November, on behalf of Black Women’s Health Imperative, I ask you to spread the word that ACA is still the law, and to enroll. Pass it on.
Linda Goler Blount
President and CEO
Black Women’s Health Imperative