FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 11, 2014
Contacts: Colin Seeberger, Colin.Seeberger@
Justin Nisly, JNisly@enrollamerica.org, 202.601.2494
Kyle Rouse, Kyle.Rouse@unitedway.org, 904.303.2131
Steve Weiss, Steve.Weiss@cancer.org, 202.661.5711
National Youth Enrollment Day Kicks Off the Last Six Weeks of Open Enrollment Education Campaign
One in Four Adults Under Age 35 is Still Uninsured—Nearly Eight in Ten May Qualify for Financial Assistance
[WASHINGTON]— This week, dozens of health, youth, and charitable organizations, including Young Invincibles, Enroll America, United Way Worldwide, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, are holding a week of action—including a National Youth Enrollment Day on Saturday, February 15—to educate uninsured young adults about their new affordable coverage options and need to be enrolled before the March 31st deadline for the new health insurance exchanges. This week will include over 100 education and enrollment events in cities across the country.
“Millions of young adults are already covered as a result of the Affordable Care Act, but millions more do not know that they qualify for financial assistance that can help them finally afford health care,” said Aaron Smith, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Young Invincibles. “For the approximately one in four adults under age 35 who are still uninsured, National Youth Enrollment Day will be the beginning of a six week campaign to make sure they have the information they need to enroll.”
“Based on our research and conversations with consumers across the country, we know that young adults value health insurance, but haven’t been able to afford it in the past,” said Anne Filipic, President of Enroll America. “Now, millions of young people stand to benefit from the new health care options available through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and can even get help paying for their plan. We’re excited to continue our outreach and be a part of the effort to make sure young Americans know how to get covered.”
Illness and injury are the two leading causes of personal bankruptcy, and young people earn lower wages and are less like to get employer-sponsored coverage.
“We believe National Youth Enrollment Day will raise awareness about the free and reduced-cost options available to young people and encourage them to enroll,” said Stacey D. Stewart, US President of United Way Worldwide. “United Way and our partners are committed to helping our neighbors navigate and understand their health insurance options so that they can choose an option that is best for them.”
“Uninsured people are more likely than those with health coverage to be diagnosed with cancer at advanced stages and are less likely to survive the disease,” said Molly Daniels, deputy president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “It is vitally important that uninsured people of all ages begin educating themselves about the quality health plans and financial assistance newly available to them to make coverage more affordable.”
National Youth Enrollment Day will also feature a coordinated digital push to reach young people online. The NationalYouthEnrollmentDay.org website was setup to recruit volunteers and engage partners, allowing partnering organizations to follow up with uninsured consumers throughout the remainder of the open enrollment process. Many partner organizations will also join a coordinated push on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media throughout the week leading up to National Youth Enrollment Day. Supporters will tweet using the #GetCovered hashtag, which has already been tweeted over 312,220 times since June 1, 2013, making over four billion impressions.
Nationally, 27 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 are uninsured. In addition, Medicaid expansion and tax credits could make as many as 18 of the country’s 19 million currently uninsured young adults eligible for free or reduced-cost coverage if all states ultimately expanded their Medicaid eligibility threshold.
National Youth Enrollment Day was an idea that came out of the December 2013 White House Youth Summit. For more information on National Youth Enrollment Day, please visit http://www.
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More than one in four young adults in America do not have health coverage. National Youth Enrollment Day is a day of action featuring dozens of national, state, and local organizations spreading the word about health coverage options to young adults through outreach and enrollment events across the country. The day also marks the beginning of a six week effort to make sure that young people have the information they need to enroll before the March 31st deadline to get covered. For more information, please visit nationalyouthenrollmentd