By With enrollment open and the deadline to purchase health insurance nearing, an informational workshop will be hosted today to inform the campus community about the new healthcare law.
Christina Duong, a Covered California educator and Cal State Long Beach graduate student, said the workshop is designed for those who do not completely understand the Affordable Care Act.
“Everyone who is eligible will be required to have health insurance by Jan. 1,” Duong said. “If students are uninsured, [and] if they know [others] who are currently uninsured, our workshop is a great place to get more information.”
The workshop about the Affordable Care Act will be held in the Kinesiology building, Room 57 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The workshop is open to students and faculty.
According to Duong, 47 million Americans nationwide remain uninsured, with 5.5 million of them being Californians.
Duong said that Cal State University students can obtain additional assistance with the cost of an insurance plan from Covered California, the state’s new health insurance marketplace.
“About 70 percent of CSU students would qualify,” she said. “With assistance from the government, students and families will finally have access to more affordable, quality health insurance through [Covered California].”
According to Duong, information covered during the workshop will concern the Affordable Care Act and how students can enroll in the marketplace.
Additional activities at the workshop will include a demonstration using Covered California to compare and contrast state healthcare plans as well as a Q-and-A session to clarify unanswered questions, according to Duong.
The workshop was organized by the California Professional Student Health Alliance, a statewide, student-run organization that advocates for accessible healthcare for all Californians, and CSU Health Insurance Education Project, a joint project between the CSU and Cal State Los Angeles that explains new health insurance laws to students, faculty and their families.
“We want to make sure students in the CSU system are fully educated about [Covered California] in order to help them make the best informed decision for themselves and their loved ones,” she said.
