On Tuesday, state Rep. Brian Sims (D-182nd Dist.) and the Get Covered America campaign hit the pavement to talk with LGBT-friendly small businesses in South and Center City Philadelphia about the Affordable Care Act.
The campaign, a national effort of Enroll America, focuses on educating consumers on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. Campaign leaders gathered at Green Eggs Café in the Gayborhood and also made stops at B2 Coffee Shop and Ippolito’s Seafood.
The effort included brainstorming sessions on getting LGBT citizens enrolled for the ACA during the Special Enrollment Period, which allows individuals who have gone through a life-changing event, such as the loss of a job, moving or marriage, to enroll through the health-insurance marketplace before general enrollment begins in November.
The campaign installed dropboxes at various local small businesses that serve the LGBT community. The dropboxes will allow interested individuals to submit their contact information so the Get Covered America campaign can discuss with them ACA and coverage options.
Get Covered field organizer Neil Rickett is working with a team of 25 volunteers who go out to speak with small-business owners about health insurance and the ACA. He said small businesses are especially important because of their community involvement.
“Small businesses work well because they are located in the community and everybody utilizes them,” he said. “They give us a place to give our information and identify those people who need insurance without having to target them in other ways.”
Greens Eggs Café manager Nick Andrilla told Sims and campaign organizers some of his employees are uncertain how to apply for coverage under the ACA, or are afraid of incurring added costs.
Enroll America state director for Pennsylvania Bill England said small businesses, and businesses in general, are important in disseminating accurate information about enrollment because they traditionally serve consumers who could be assisted by the ACA.
“In the service industry, the people tend to typically be younger and tend not to have health insurance. Some stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26 years old but after that, they don’t have it,” England said. “Their income isn’t as high, so we are finding in businesses, younger people who are eligible and eligible for the tax credit to pay for the Affordable Care Act.”
England said the campaign travels all over the state to get businesses on board with its mission. He noted more than 317,000 Pennsylvanians have enrolled in the ACA; more than 100,000 are from Philadelphia.
“This is such a historic and wondrous opportunity. We want to make sure we reach a lot of people,” England said.
He added his organization has been working with the city and a coalition of faith-based organizations to educate the public on the importance of getting covered, and working with local LGBT-friendly businesses and with Sims can further that aim. “[Sims] is widely and greatly respected and a wonderful representative. He is a human being who cares a lot and in his district we know he polls favorably with his constituents,” England said. “It is important for communities that have been underserved to get information. We are entering an age of equality here in Pennsylvania and it is time that things are level at all places.”
For more information, visit www.enrollamerica.org.