CHICAGO – Through its health insurance enrollment and education initiative, Libraries Connecting You to Coverage, the Public Library Association (PLA) is encouraging enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace for 2020. Today, PLA announced it will award $500 mini-grants to 57 public libraries across the U.S. to advance this work. Awardee libraries will disseminate information, provide education, partner with health insurance enrollment and provider groups, and encourage community members to enroll in the Marketplace during the ACA Open Enrollment Period. For consumers in states that utilize the federal marketplace platform, healthcare.gov, open enrollment begins Nov. 1, 2019, and ends Dec. 15, 2019.
The following libraries have been awarded funding:
- Bacbock Library (Ashford, Conn.)
- Berkeley (Ill.) Public Library
- Blair County (Penn.) Library System
- Boulder City (Nev.) Library
- Burnsville (W.V.) Public Library
- Caldwell (Idaho) Public Library
- Charlotte (Vt.) Library
- Cobb County (Ga.) Public Library System
- Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) Library
- Denmark (Maine) Public Library
- Dougherty County (Ga.) Public Library
- Faulkner County (Ark.) Library
- East Adams Library District (Ritzville, Wash.)
- East Hartford (Conn.) Public Library
- Effingham (Ill.) Public Library
- Eisenhower Public Library (Harwood Heights, Ill.)
- Elizabeth (N.J.) Public Library
- Flint River Regional Library System (Griffin, Ga.)
- Haverford Township (Penn.) Free Library
- Idyllwild (Calif.) Library
- Kansas City (Kan.) Public Library, West Wyandotte Branch
- Kenton County (Ky.) Public Library
- Lincoln Park (N.J.) Public Library
- Lititz (Penn.) Public Library
- Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library (Bristol, Penn.)
- Marshall (Ill.) Public Library
- Mead Valley Library (Perris, Calif.)
- Miami-Dade (Fla.) Public Library, Allapattah Branch
- Miami-Dade (Fla.) Public Library, Main Library
- Moline (Ill.) Public Library
- Monroe County (Ga.) Library
- Mott (N.D.) Public Library
- Natchitoches (La.) Parish Library
- Natrona County (Wyo.) Library
- Nederland (Colo.) Community Library
- Newfield (N.Y.) Public Library
- North Riverside (Ill.) Public Library
- Norwich (Vt.) Public Library
- Osceola (Iowa) Public Library
- Ouachita Parish Public Library (Monroe, La.)
- Petersburg (Va.) Public Library
- Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Public Library District
- Princeton (Ill.) Public Library
- Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County (Ala.)
- Queens (N.Y.) Public Library
- Richton Park (Ill.) Public Library District
- Rio Grande City (Texas) Public Library
- Rolla (Mo.) Public Library
- Saint Peter (Minn.) Public Library
- Salt Lake City (Utah) Public Library
- South Brunswick Public Library (Monmouth Junction, N.J.)
- St. Martin Parish Library (St. Martinville, La.)
- Trails Regional Library (Warrensburg, Mo.)
- Trenton (N.J.) Free Public Library
- Union (N.J.) Public Library
- University City (Mo.) Public Library
- Warrenville (Ill.) Public Library District
Free tools and resources available
All public libraries — especially those in states that utilize the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace — are encouraged to take advantage of the free tools and resources PLA has compiled related to health insurance enrollment. Libraries can start or increase their efforts to educate and build awareness of coverage options, as well as the option of enrolling in Medicaid or a Special Enrollment Period year-round. These efforts will help reach the uninsured, and help improve health outcomes and reduce medical costs for patrons.
As part of its ongoing work to support the public library’s role in creating healthy communities, PLA has partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Community Catalyst to counteract obstacles to ACA enrollment. Questions about the initiative and grants may be directed to Leighann Wood, PLA program manager, at lwood@ala.org or 312-280-5867.
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About PLA
The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 10,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext.5PLA, or pla@ala.org.
Originally published at https://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2019/10/fifty-seven-public-libraries-awarded-funding-encourage-affordable-care-act