Not Too Busy to Get Enrolled for Coverage! #GetBexarCovered #EnrollSA

“I’m so busy!” It’s one my most disliked phrases. En serio, what are we so busy doing? For me, November has been one of my busiest months for traveling this year. I have been to two social media conferences and I’m planning one more trip before Thanksgiving! Then, it’s Thanksgiving and soon the holiday shopping season begins. One thing I haven’t been too busy for is getting my family’s health insurance squared away. Yep, we are all covered for next year.

Get Bexar Covered - EnrollSA Campaign

Before my husband and I were married and had kids, I didn’t worry much about health insurance. Sometimes I had it and sometimes I didn’t. Once I became responsible for my family, I knew health insurance was a priority. With my first child, having health insurance was important for routine check ups. We walked in, had a great check-up and paid the co-pay. However, with my second child, everything changed. When he was about 18-months, we learned (the hard way) that our son had severe food allergies. After he had a serious allergic reaction, he was rushed to the emergency room. That was the scariest night of my life!

Today, in addition to regular check-ups, we plan for illness visits to the doctor for both boys even though we pray we won’t need them. We now need a prescription for an inhaler and Epi-pen to have on-hand at all times. Therefore, we cannot afford to not be covered.

Are you covered? EnrollSA

Encouraging other families to get covered is why I’m partnering with EnrollSA –  a coalition of healthcare professionals, a collaborative effort that includes hospitals, Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, and grassroots and community-based organizations. The goal is to increase enrollment in health coverage in Bexar County made available by the Affordable Care Act.

The deadline for re-enrollment is December 15th!

If you enrolled in the previous enrollment period, re-visit the Marketplace. There are 25% more plans from last enrollment period, which makes the pricing for these plans much more competitive. Queridos, if you do not enroll for 2015, you may have to pay a fine: $325 or 2% of your income, whichever is more.

Latinos are uninsured at the highest rate of any other ethnic group.There are more than 212,000 uninsured persons in Bexar County, almost 12 percent of the population. Increasing access to health care is a goal set by the community as part of SA2020. In 2011, only 78.3% of individuals in Bexar County had health insurance. SA2020’s goal is to enroll 86% of the total population by 2020. (Read more: http://www.sa2020.org/progress_type/health-fitness/health-insurance/) Let’s get Bexar County covered!

NEED HELP ENROLLING? Here are several upcoming enrollment events for Bexar County where there will be English and Spanish speaking enrollment counselors providing FREE assistance:

Palo Alto College Event
Saturday, Nov. 22nd
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

After Thanksgiving Event
Friday, Nov. 29th
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Rolling Oaks Mall

Healthy for the Holidays
Saturday, Dec. 13
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Judson High School

Don’t start the holiday shopping season without shopping for coverage. Don’t get ‘too busy’! For more information on local events or help with enrollment in Bexar County: www.EnrollSA.com Questions: Call 2-1-1 You can also stay in the conversation on social media by following EnrollSA on Facebook and Twitter.