FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FERNDALE, Mich. – ACCESS Navigators will answer questions about the federal government's Affordable Care Act and schedule appointments for in-person assistance from noon to 4 p.m. March 1 at Just4Us, 211 Nine Mile Road in Ferndale. All services are open to the public.
ACCESS will also host a group enrollment session from 5 to 9 p.m. March 6 at ConnectMe, 963 Allen Road in Ferndale, where laptops and in-person assistance will be provided for enrollment in a health insurance plan.
“We want to get as many people enrolled as possible before the March 31 deadline,” said David Ponsart, ACCESS’ supervisor of infectious disease programs.
The events are tailored to individuals who are knowledgeable of computers and understand how to surf the Web, but who may not be as fluent with health care policy or who may have questions regarding health insurance plans.
Mediha Tariq, ACCESS manager for Affordable Care Enrollment and Education, said the event is especially useful for young people who are signing up for health care for the first time.
“If you’re young and think you’re invincible, then you should come to this event,” Tariq said. “You may think that you’re healthy and don’t need help, but when you break a leg, that can cost as much as $30,000. It is much better to get insured.”
Tariq said many young people have received conflicting information about whether the healthcare.gov website works, whether their health care costs will rise, or whether it is too expensive to pay for. By attending an information session and working with a ACCESS Navigator, individuals will receive accurate, current information and will be empowered to find the right health care plan that suits their budget.
“Despite a lot of the stuff people hear, all of the young people who are enrolling at these group enrollment centers are coming out happy with their plans,” Tariq said.
The ACCESS Community Health and Research Center is one of four federally funded Navigator groups in Michigan. Navigators can assist clients with all aspects of account creation, application, health plan selection and enrollment. Navigators are available five days a week with multiple locations in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
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Grounded in the Arab-American tradition of hospitality, ACCESS has a 43-year history of providing social, health, education and legal services in greater Detroit to empower people to lead healthy, informed and productive lives. Today, ACCESS extends that mission to a national platform through advocacy, arts, culture and philanthropy. Visit us online at www.accesscommunity.org.