PRESS RELEASE
February 25, 2014

With Affordable Care Act Enrollment Deadlines Approaching, NHLA Boosts Outreach
Various events planned for Latino Enrollment Week of Action

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 37 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, and its members have multiple events planned during the Latino Enrollment Week of Action, as part of their continued efforts to ensure as many eligible Latinos as possible enroll in health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace. March 15 is the deadline to sign up for coverage that goes into effect on April 1, and March 31 is the last day to enroll for coverage in 2014.

"NHLA member organizations are seizing the historic opportunity that the Affordable Care Act provides to improve Hispanic health by enrolling as many of the 10 million eligible uninsured Latinos as possible into health plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace. I urge all uninsured individuals to visit HealthCare.gov or Cuidadodesalud.gov or call 800-318-2596 FREE to learn more about their options to enroll in affordable coverage," said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).

“NCLR is pleased to join with our sister organizations in encouraging Latinos across the country to enroll during this week of action. With only a little more than a month left before the deadline, we don’t want our community to be left behind,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR. “We encourage our community to engage, be educated about the options, and enroll.”

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of Latino families can now find the peace of mind that comes with quality, affordable, health insurance,” said José Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation. “With only five weeks left to enroll, the Hispanic Federation continues to connect Latinos with the critical information and the resources they need to enroll in the new health insurance plans.”

“After an extensive outreach and education effort through a Navigator program in Illinois and its 25 affiliates nationwide to reach uninsured Hispanics and others seeking affordable insurance, the number of persons signing up is increasing as the March deadline approaches--but many are still uninsured,” stated Ignacio Salazar, President/CEO of SER—Jobs for Progress National, Inc. Salazar asserted that efforts should continue to assist those who remain uninsured.

“Thanks to the ACA, millions of Latinas will have access to quality, affordable coverage for prenatal care, birth control, cervical cancer screenings, and other important health care. We are working hard to ensure that Latinas across the country have the information they need to enroll and make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” said Jessica González-Rojas, Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

NHLA is encouraging followers to share stories about what the ACA means for them at latinosunited.org/healthcare.

Among the activities planned this week:

• As a Champion of Coverage, LULAC will host a health policy briefing on Wednesday during its National Annual Legislative Conference at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, to outline the work being done to enroll Latinos into health insurance, discuss the ongoing obstacles facing Latinos looking for coverage and share insights on the health issues of most concern to the Latino community. Special guests include U.S. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Marc Veasey, and Raul Ruiz, and Audrey Rowe, Administrator of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. LULAC has also scheduled over 55 legislative meetings for this week to have conversations with elected officials regarding improvements to the health outcomes of the Latino community.

On Saturday, March 1, in Dallas, Texas, LULAC will be hosting a Latino Enrollment Summit at its LNESC Technology Center. Outreach in Texas is especially important as Texas did not expand Medicaid and has the highest rate of Latinos who fall into the coverage gap and the highest rate of uninsured Latinos overall.

• NCLR held a press call Tuesday with the Center for American Progress Action Fund to highlight the success of recent enrollment events in key states such as Texas, Florida, and Arizona, and preview upcoming Latino Enrollment Summits in Texas.

• Members of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) are participating in this week’s White House Latino enrollment events and its President & CEO, Dr. Elena Rios, will be in Portland, Oregon, addressing the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders.

• VotoLatino will convene a Google Hangout on immigrant families and the Affordable Care Act with the Hispanic Federation, Department of Health and Human Services and the National Immigration Law Center, on Wednesday, February 26, at 2pm ET at http://goo.gl/VfpPGH

• LCLAA chapters have been actively engaged in bringing awareness of ACA implementation and upcoming deadline. Our C hapters in Michigan, New York, California, Florida and Colorado have organized workshops to inform their community about ACA, qualification requirements and how to enroll. LCLAA also endorsed the National Youth Enrollment Day , and created a campaign for our chapters to promote youth enrollment, and provided tool kits and information for young people.

• SER National has deployed a team of three certified, federal Navigators providing services to over 2,000 uninsured persons in Illinois since October of last year. Affiliates have sponsored meetings and workshops throughout the country informing persons of the benefits of the new affordable healthcare options.

Additionally, NHLA member organizations are planning a number of events in the following weeks, ahead of the March 15 and 31 deadlines. These include:

• Latino Enrollment Summit, organized by the Hispanic Federation, to provide comprehensive, in-person assistance to guide uninsured Latinos through the process of enrolling in new health insurance plans available through the Affordable Care Act, on Saturday, March 15, from 10am to 5pm ET at Union City Housing Authority Pavilion, 3911 John F. Kennedy Blvd Union City, NJ 07087.

• For example, LCLAA will hold an enrollment workshop in Lansing, Michigan on March 14 at the Cristo Rey Community Center.

• NHMA National Conference on Affordable Care Act & Best Practices for Hispanics, March 27-30 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.

Consumers can also learn more about the Health Insurance Marketplace in both English and Spanish through social media at Facebook.com/HealthCare.gov, Facebook.com/CuidadoDeSalud.gov, @HealthCareGov and @CuidadoDeSalud. Individuals looking for in-person assistance can find out who’s available to help nearby through Find Local Help or ayuda local on the Spanish health care site. Updated answers to questions about Immigrant Family Eligibility are now available online, as well as a translated statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that data collected under the ACA will not to be used for immigration enforcement purposes.

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Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: | Melody Gonzales | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 508-6917 | | Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |

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