If you do not have insurance through an employer or other group plan, the Affordable Care Act continues to provide an option. Though battered, up to and including, appeals to the US Supreme Court, the law remains in place and benefits millions of people across the country. As the window to enroll for 2018 coverage closes, we encourage you to be sure you are covered, reach out to your family, friends, congregations, and colleagues, to remind them to sign up today.
The time period to enroll is 45 days shorter than last year and the budget to get the word out and assist people has been cut by 90%. Despite the effort to make enrollment more difficult, there is help. Many organizations have formed grass roots efforts to assist people who may otherwise give up on the process or not have access to online services.
Information on healthcare plans and local resources can be found at healthcare.gov. You can also find in-person, local, help through the Get Covered Connector. From this site, you simply enter a zip code in order to see what is available in your area. There are many places still providing help in this last week of enrollment for 2018.
The NC Council of Churches supports universal health care and we remain committed to that goal. As people of faith, we must look beyond politics. If we line up on the question of whether a child of God has a right to basic healthcare according to political party rhetoric, we willingly choose to jeopardize the health of not only ourselves, but of our neighbor. We will continue to look to The Great Physician, Jesus Christ, as the example in caring for all God’s people regardless of self-interest.
For additional information about the ACA through the lens of faith, visit the Council’s resource page on the Affordable Care Act. The Council also has lectionary worship resources on healthcare available here.
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