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The Graduate and Professional Student Association and other organizations are seeking to educate the University community about the Affordable Care Act.
GPSA will host health care information and enrollment fairs for students and staff on Monday and Tuesday in the Student Union Building.
GPSA Chief of Staff Matthew Rush said the information sessions will take place on Monday and will mostly inform students about changes to health care caused by the Affordable Care Act.
Rush said GPSA wanted to help students and staff start to enroll for health care before the deadline for enrollment in March.
According to the Affordable Care Act’s website, open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace closes March 31.
Rush said the session will include information on the open marketplace and Centennial Care, or Medicaid.
“The first event is really more the information,” he said. “Letting them know about the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. We’ll also be talking about how to register.”
According to the Affordable Care Act’s website, the Health Insurance Marketplace is a “new way to find quality health coverage.” To use the marketplace, you fill out an application and see all of the health care plans available in your area, according to the site.
According to the Health Action New Mexico website, the Affordable Care Act will expand Medicaid to “include many adults who have never qualified for Medicaid before.”
Rush said the registration day on Tuesday will involve qualified navigators helping students and staff register in the health care marketplace or for Medicaid Expansion.
“The second day will be guiding them through registration, helping them make those decisions,” he said.
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Young Invincibles and Youth Development Incorporated (YDI), among other local organizations, are also sponsors for the event.
Concha Cordova, senior associate director for YDI, said YDI Program Director Marisol Campos will speak at the information session. She said Campos will be talking about how to enroll in health care.
Cristina Rivera, state outreach coordinator for Young Invincibles, will also speak at the information session. Rivera said one reason Young Invincibles decided to come to UNM was because of the high uninsured rate among young adults.
“We try to gather information and data where the most uninsured young adults are located,” she said. “We have identified New Mexico as having rather high uninsured rates for young adults aged 18 to 34.”
Rivera said her organization has been traveling around the country for about a year educating people about the Affordable Care Act.
“Recently with Young Invincibles, what we largely do is educate young adults and those working with young adults about the new health care law,” she said. “Just about health care coverage options, what’s going to be made available to them, and answer any other questions that they may be confused about.”
Though the event is open to anyone who may qualify for insurance, Rush said GPSA is interested in guiding students through the changes caused by the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re really trying to make sure we reach out to students who are going to be affected by this,” he said. “We feel that a large of amount of students are likely to qualify, under the new Affordable Care Act, for good coverage.”
Monday Information Sessions
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
11 a.m. – noon
SUB Ballroom A
Tuesday Registration Session
8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
SUB Fiesta A, B
and IT Lobo Lab Room. 1013
