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PARKERSBURG -- The first Cover WV Day to raise awareness about how to get health coverage and help uninsured people in West Virginia find and enroll in health insurance will be held on Tuesday.
More than 20 organizations will offer free assistance to those who need coverage, among those being the West Virginia Primary Care Association, the West Virginia Navigator Program, the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner and non-profit organizations and community health centers at more than 30 locations across the state for the one-day event.
Local walk-in events will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Vienna Public Library and Roane County Family Health Care at 146 Williams Drive, Spencer.
Each location will offer walk-in hours where anyone can get information or receive free help enrolling in health insurance. All locations will be staffed by certified assistants such as Health insurance navigators or certified application counselors who provide free help with Medicaid, C.H.I.P. and Health Insurance Marketplace enrollments.
The open enrollment period for the marketplace ends on Jan. 16.
More than 100,000 people in West Virginia, 5.9% of residents, lack health coverage. Organizers aim to educate fellow West Virginians about the different options available to those needing health coverage. WV Medicaid and the Health Insurance Marketplace provide options for most people without coverage. Four in five people who get a plan on the Marketplace can qualify for plans starting at under $10 a month this year.
"Most people will qualify for substantially lower costs this year if they get their insurance on the Marketplace," said Jeremy Smith, program director with the WV Navigator. "We are urging people to look at the new plans and prices released this year. The plans are often more affordable than we have ever seen. Even if you have looked into insurance on the Marketplace in past years and were unhappy, you should look into it again this year."
Getting help signing up is essential as many people are overwhelmed by the options or may not realize how to shop for affordable health coverage, he said.
"With so many experts partnering all over the state, we are hopeful that anyone who has questions or needs help will be able to get what they need by showing up to a Cover WV day location," Smith said.
The project is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1.05 million, all funded by the federal agencies.