Washington, DC; January 24, 2016: The White House launched a special effort to reach out to Asian Americans through U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, urging them to sign up for health insurance under Obamacare before the Jan. 31 deadline.
On Jan. 19, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, in collaboration with the Action for Health Justice, launched its third annual AAPI Affordable Care Act Week of Action, a public awareness drive to encourage AAPIs to enroll in the “Health Insurance Marketplace” by month end. One in three AAPIs is limited English proficient, and one in four AAPIs has not seen a doctor in the past year, according to a press release from the White House. The initiative says it is providing a 24-hour helpline in 250 languages at an 800 number that can help members of the community sign up.
“Since the first open enrollment period in 2013, nearly 18 million Americans, including many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, have gotten life-saving, quality and affordable health coverage,” Murthy is quoted saying in a press release.
“But our work is not done. There are still more than 200,000 AAPI community members who don’t have the safety, security and peace of mind that comes with having health coverage. We must close that gap because health equity is a civil rights issue, and it’s an AAPI community value,” he added. Dr. Murthy was appointed by President Obama to serve as co-Chair of the White House Initiative on AAPIs in May 2013.
The “Week of Action” activities included a stakeholder call with Murthy Jan. 19, and a Twitterstorm with special guests George Takei and Angry Asian Man’s Phil Yu on Jan. 20. among other planned activities. Stories about enrollment experiences will be featured throughout the week. For more information visit HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596.
