Ahoskie, NC — The Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center (RCCHC) will be holding an event titled “Come Have Coffee With Us” that will help area citizens enroll for health care if they have not already enrolled through the federal marketplace.
The event will be held on Friday, March 21 from 9:00am to 12:00 noon at the RCCHC Ahoskie Comprehensive Care Center. Its purpose is to offer information about enrolling for health insurance in the federal marketplace, and to provide assistance with the online enrollment process. Six certified application counselors will be at the event to assist with the application process. There is no charge to those who come and no commitments to purchase health insurance through the marketplace is required.
“As an active community health center, we consider it a significant responsibility to inform the public of options regarding their health care,” said Holly Smith, Patient Financial Services Director at RCCHC.
Open enrollment ends on March 31, so time is pressing for those who have yet to enroll for health insurance. Once open enrollment concludes, those without health insurance could be penalized by the federal government for failing to enroll in a plan.
“We want our area citizens to be informed and be aware that they can get health insurance and that we can help them through the process,” said Kim Schwartz, CEO at RCCHC. “Those who may be ‘out of the loop’ concerning health insurance can come to the event, get informed, and get enrolled while there. This is why RCCHC is here, to better the health of our community.”
Those who do not sign up for health insurance by March 31 may not be able to apply again for health insurance until open enrollment begins on November 15, 2014. Even those who apply then, if they do not have insurance already, will not have insurance before an effective date of January 1, 2015.
No appointment is necessary to attend the event. If you would like to check your eligibility for a premium subsidy (lower premiums) and cost-sharing reductions (lower co-pays and deductibles) while at the event, you will need to bring verification of your income and information about your household size. The event is free to the public.
The Ahoskie Comprehensive Care Center is located at 120 Health Center Dr in Ahoskie. For more information about RCCHC and what it offers citizens of the Roanoke-Chowan area, visit www.rcchc.org.