The New Orleans Health Department has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist in enrolling the uninsured in new health coverage options made available by President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
With the $73,662 in funding, the Health Department will support staff to provide direct outreach to uninsured workers, particularly those in the service, hospitality, entertainment, tourism, construction and health care industries who don’t have employer-sponsored insurance.
“This funding will go a long way towards preparing us to help people take advantage of the Affordable Care Act and improve access to care for low income workers in our community,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Karen DeSalvo.
Starting Oct. 1, individuals in all states will be able to choose new affordable health insurance options through a new Health Insurance Marketplace. Louisiana will have a
Federally-facilitated Marketplace. The Health Department will be working aggressively to enroll uninsured individuals once the Marketplace is activated on Oct. 1 and will post information online at http://www.nola.gov/health-department/.