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December 2015
December 6-12 is National Flu Vaccination Week.
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During the first three weeks of the current health insurance Open Enrollment Period, more than two million consumers have signed-up for Marketplace coverage for the first time or have returned to renew their coverage. Improvements for accessing the Marketplace were made to provide consumers with a smoother experience as they shop for plans. Here’s more on what consumers need to know about the 2016 Open Enrollment Period.
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Sign up by December 15. If you need health insurance coverage and you want it to start on January 1, the deadline to sign up is December 15, 2015.
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Financial help is available. About 8 in 10 of the uninsured who are eligible for Marketplace coverage qualify for financial assistance to lower the cost of their monthly premiums. In fact, many people can find low-premium plans for $75 or less per month.
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It pays to shop. There may be plans available that offer the services you need, include more doctors or save you money.
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New tools make picking a plan and signing up easier. Visit HealthCare.gov to use the new out of pocket cost estimator, and doctor and prescription drug look up features. You can even apply on your cell phone.
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Free, expert help is available. Representatives at the Call Center are available 24 hours a day, every day at 1-800-318-2596. Call Center representatives can answer questions and help you enroll in coverage over the phone.
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Free, confidential, in-person help is also available at enrollment sites and events in communities across the nation. Visit LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov to search for local help in your neighborhood.
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Post and Promote Enrollment Events
Are you organizing a health insurance enrollment event in your community? Post it to the online events calendar on our website. Visitors can search the calendar 24/7 to find upcoming events in your city or town and sign up!
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Did you know that many American Indians and Alaska Natives and their families are eligible to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace?
A new infographic from the HHS Office of Minority Health answers common questions about complying with the Affordable Care Act, defines eligibility for the Marketplace and benefits of enrolling, and identifies where to get more information. See the infographic.
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During National Flu Vaccination Week (December 6-12), we encourage everyone to get their flu shot ahead of peak flu season, which typically begins in January. While flu vaccination rates among U.S. adults have been on the rise in recent years, many minority adults are still not getting a yearly flu vaccine.
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Do I need to get a flu shot? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older get vaccinated. Getting a flu shot can reduce illnesses, doctor visits, missed school and work days, and prevent hospitalizations.
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How much will it cost? Flu shots are one of the many preventive services covered under the Affordable Care Act, so most adults and children who have insurance will not pay anything out of pocket for a flu shot.
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Is there help for people without insurance? Walgreens and HHS have joined to provide free flu shot vouchers to people without insurance. Each voucher is good for one flu shot at any Walgreens in the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. Call 1-800-925-4733 to learn more.
Visit flu.gov for the latest news and updates, and search for clinics across the country.
To highlight HHS’ efforts to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations and strengthen the nation’s capacity to advance health equity, the HHS Office of Minority Health recently released the Implementation Progress Report of the HHS Disparities Action Plan. The report shows how HHS is addressing disparities in access to care, improving quality of care, enhancing workforce diversity and cultural competency, advancing community-based approaches that promote health and wellness, improving data collection and reporting on minority populations, and advancing research on racial and ethnic health disparities. Read more on the OMH Blog for Health Equity.
The HHS 2015 Report to Congress on Minority Health Activities summarizes programs, policies and initiatives of agencies across HHS that address minority health and health disparities and demonstrate HHS's commitment to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities and achieving health equity. The 2015 report highlights HHS agencies and their programs dedicated to minority health and reducing health disparities in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. View the 2015 HHS Report to Congress on Minority Health Activities.
Hosted by HRSA, the HHS Office of Minority Health and Ethnomed, the Northwest Regional Conference on African Immigrant Health (NRCAIH) will take place March 19-20, 2016, at the University of Washington in Seattle. The theme of the 2016 conference is "Addressing the Social Determinants of African Immigrant Health,” which encompasses a wide array of research topics, public health and community engagement activities that promote African immigrant health.
The deadline to submit abstracts is January 4, 2016. Visit http://ethnomed.org/nwrcaih for more information on abstract submission and conference registration.
If you missed the recent webinar series on creating successful federal grant applications, you can access the recording and slides. Designed for community-based, faith-based and other organizations that want to learn the basics of creating successful federal grant applications, the three-part series walks through the foundations of grant writing, logic models and federal grant opportunities. Listen to the series.
Diabetes affects an estimated 29.1 million people in the United States. Diabetes self-management education is a proven strategy for reducing complications and improving quality of life for people with diabetes. Join Healthy People 2020 and the Diabetes Advocacy Alliance on Thursday, December 10 at 12:30 p.m. ET for a webinar highlighting evidence-based resources and strategies focused on diabetes self-management education. Register now.
Check out the Knowledge Center’s digital repository at the Internet Archive. This open access collection is available for online reading and free downloads. The collection includes almost 600 archival documents related to minority health issues, and has been viewed over 100,000 times since its initiation in 2011. Contact the Knowledge Center Team for more information about this free online resource.
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