FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 21, 2016
CONTACTS:
Nina Smith, nina.smith@younginvincibles.org, 301-717-9006
Sarah Schultz, sarah.schultz@younginvincibles.org, 202-734-6510
YMCA, among other coalition partners, hold enrollment events from the nation’s capital to California to boost youth enrollment before January 31st deadline
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Building on encouraging numbers accounting for nearly a million more young adults enrolling in health coverage at the December 15th deadline compared to last year, Young Invincibles (YI) today joined forces with Enroll America and partners across the country to host the third annual National Youth Enrollment Day — a day of action to educate young adults about the importance of obtaining healthcare coverage.
With more than 100 events across the country, National Youth Enrollment Day represented the largest coordinated grassroots open-enrollment effort targeting Millennials in America. The event brought together a wide array of national and local partners to raise awareness around new health care options for young adults while also urging enrollment in advance of the impending January 31 deadline. To help promote National Youth Enrollment Day efforts, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, recorded a special thank you video message to partners and supporters encouraging them to continue spreading the word about the benefits of enrolling in health care coverage.
“Thanks to the ACA, millions of young people have obtained health coverage — some for the first time ever -and the uninsured rate for young adults has dropped significantly from 28 percent to 17 percent,” said Jen Mishory, Executive Director of Young Invincibles. “But those rates are still twice the national average, and we still have work to do. That’s why we’re working with partners across the country to host National Youth Enrollment Day to educate young people about their health care options, opportunities to get financial assistance in purchasing coverage, and the upcoming January 31st deadline to enroll.”
“So far, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of young Americans who have enrolled in health coverage during this open enrollment period compared to previous years – but there are still many more who need to take action before it’s too late,” said Anne Filipic, President of Enroll America. “We’re thrilled to work with Young Invincibles and our great partners across the country to provide enrollment resources to young adults on National Youth Enrollment Day and all the way up to the deadline so they can learn about their options and get covered before the final deadline on January 31.”
Uninsured rates among young adults remains high with nearly one in five Millennials lacking health care coverage. National Youth Enrollment Day addresses this challenge through grassroots events targeting young adults who typically shop for coverage later in enrollment periods than other age groups.
At NationalYouthEnrollmentDay.com
Past and current coalition partners include the United Way, the YMCA, Hope WorldWide, Out2Enroll, Generation Progress, and Advocates for Youth, and several local ACA community coalitions including Enroll Virginia and the Houston’s Gulf Coast Collaborative.
Please be in touch with any questions, using the contact information above.
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