Program funded: July 2015 – June 2016

Need health insurance or know someone who does?

Free assistance from the trained experts at WithinReach, a local community nonprofit, is just an appointment away. WithinReach has in-person assisters who are available to answer questions about Washington Healthplanfinder, the state’s health insurance exchange, and sign people up for appointments to get one-on-one help with insurance enrollment.

The help from in-person assisters was just what Kathleen Rowland, Snohomish County mom, needed.

The value of health insurance is not lost on Kathy. Her two sons have had many injuries throughout the years. Athletes and daredevils, her boys have had many trips to the doctor for injuries. Luckily, both her sons had health insurance through her employer until she lost her job due to a layoff last January. Kathy loved her job working as an employment specialist, helping people who were unemployed find work. Now on the other side, Kathy said, “I would love to have a job and earn insurance myself but [getting enrolled in Washington Apple Health] took the stress off. I have been so depressed, so anxious.”

Kathy and her sister had tried to find health insurance on their own but the process confused them. Kathy connected with one of WithinReach’s enrollment specialists at the Snohomish Food Bank, where they were able to walk her through the process and easily get her enrolled in Washington Apple Health.

The insurance outreach and enrollment assistance program, run by WithinReach and supported by the Verdant Health Commission, places in-person assisters at locations within our community, like job placement sites, food banks and the YWCA. There were more than 30,000 uninsured people in South Snohomish County in early 2013, and many of those people have questions about how health care reform impacts them.

 

For more information: www.withinreachwa.org, www.parenthelp123.org or call 1-800-322-2588