With open enrollment beginning this week, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services has been preparing to help clients obtain coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. CPACS specializes in working with immigrant and refugee communities, particularly the Asian and Latino populations. For the last two years, dedicated staffs have provided in-language enrollment and education with the goal of increased access to health care.
Before the Affordable Care Act, according to 2010 Census data, 25 percent of the area’s Asian population had no health coverage, with Koreans being highly uninsured at 41 percent; for Latinos, the uninsured rate was 46 percent. At the time, about 19 percent of the overall metro population lacked coverage. The uninsured had little to no access to adequate health care. Many utilized emergency rooms for their basic health care needs.
CPACS took on the challenge of educating and enrolling the uninsured with the organization’s mission in mind: To promote self-sufficiency and equity to immigrants, refugees and the underprivileged. It held outreach and education sessions about the changing health law; provided in-language enrollment to clients in more than 15 languages, and helped newly enrolled clients learn how to use health insurance.
CPACS assisted hundreds with the marketplace over the last two open enrollments. Clients had a variety of backgrounds, but all understood the importance of being insured. Our staff enrolled small business owners and their families who would not have been able to afford health insurance otherwise; faith leaders, including small church pastors and Buddhist monks, and immigrants who had multiple part-time jobs that offered no health coverage.
Clients came to us for enrollment assistance since many lacked the language and computer skills to comfortably navigate Healthcare.gov. The marketplace offers only English and Spanish websites. Many clients had limited English proficiency but were fluent in other languages such as Korean and Chinese. Some lacked literacy in their native language and needed assistance interpreting the application and different plan options. Many had limited computer skills and little access to the Internet. Some even needed email accounts created just to start an application.
We learned clients needed not only health coverage, but guidance on how to access care. Many immigrants and refugees come from countries with different health care systems or very limited access to medical care. The concept of health insurance and terminology such as “deductible” and “co-insurance” were confusing and daunting when clients were choosing plans and trying to use their coverage. Individuals would forego or drop coverage and pay the fine for going uninsured, since they were so uncertain how use their coverage.
Unfortunately, a significant number of clients sat through appointments and were unable to qualify or afford health insurance. Many individuals fell into the Medicaid gap: Their incomes were too low to qualify for health coverage on the marketplace and too high to qualify for Medicaid. Additionally, other clients’ incomes were eligible for marketplace coverage but unable to afford the premiums.
Though progress has been made, navigators and assisters continue to work with immigrants and refugees to meet their unique needs. Education and resources are essential. During open enrollment, individual guidance is vital to help enrollees understand their options and successfully enroll in a plan that will give them sufficient and quality care. When all communities have access to quality health care, all of Atlanta will benefit.
Sarah Brechin is the AmeriCorps VISTA program coordinator for the Center for Pan Asian Community Services Inc.
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