Libraries Enlisted to Publicize Health-Insurance Options ...

By Jennifer Corbett Dooren

The federal government is enlisting the help of 17,000 public libraries across the U.S. to help provide information to their patrons about new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act.

Starting Oct. 1, people who lack health insurance or want to find new insurance will be able to enroll in a plan through health insurance marketplaces being run by the federal and some state governments. The library initiative is being funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a government agency that provides grants to libraries and museums.

?Twenty eight million people already use public library computers to look for health information,? said Emily Sheketoff, the executive director of the American Library Association?s Washington office. Ms. Skeketoff explained that when there had been changes to federal health programs in the past many librarians felt unprepared to help when they were asked questions by library patrons. When a drug benefit was added to Medicare in 2006, it was the first time that the federal government helped provide information to local libraries.

Ms. Sheketoff explained that librarians won?t actually help people enroll in an insurance plan or choose one, but library staff want to point people toward ?authoritative, qualified? information on the health law if requested.

The initiative, announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday, also aims to help librarians connect interested patrons with navigators and certified applications counselors in their local communities to help them sign up for insurance.? The plan was also unveiled at ALA?s annual meeting that?s currently being held in Chicago.

?Libraries across this country are a tremendous resource for people in their communities,? said Marilyn Tavenner, CMS Administrator, in a statement.? ?People will likely turn to libraries to learn about the marketplace and we want to make sure that library staff has access to the tools and the information to respond to people who want to sign up and enroll for coverage on October 1.?

As part of the effort, The Institute for Museum and Library Services announced a $286,106 grant to OCLC, a non-profit group that supports a website that provides online information and materials to library staff.

Some libraries have already started providing information about the health law. In Dallas, the public library system provides a link to healthcare.gov from its homepage, which provides information about how to get health insurance.

In New York, the Business Council of Westchester has teamed up with the Westchester Library System for a series of meetings in July and August held at local libraries that are aimed explaining the health law to small business owners. New York is one of 13 states and the District of Columbia that will enroll people through their own state systems starting on Oct. 1.? The federal government will initially run the health insurance exchanges or marketplaces for the rest of the country. Coverage starts Jan. 1

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Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/07/01/libraries-enlisted-to-publicize-health-insurance-options/

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