Today, the White House is launching the "Healthy Communities Challenge", calling on community leaders to reach out to the uninsured in their states to help them get covered under the Affordable Care Act.
As the Affordable Care Act has taken effect, 17.6 million Americans have gained coverage, and, since 2010, we’ve reduced the uninsured rate in this country by 45 percent. The nation’s uninsured rate is now at its lowest level ever.
Join the millions who now have access to affordable health coverage. #GetCovered today → https://t.co/5r9E9h6WeU pic.twitter.com/ejdqUECyGu
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) November 4, 2015
But in communities across the country, 10.5 million eligible people remain uninsured.
That's why the White House is reaching out to local officials in 20 key communities with high percentages of uninsured Americans in states around the country. Community collaboration with local, state and federal officials can have a meaningful impact in helping these people get the health coverage they need.
At the end of open enrollment, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), along with State-based Marketplaces, will publish tallies of new Marketplace signups in the 20 participating communities and compare them to the uninsured rates at the beginning of the open enrollment period, to see which communities have made the most progress.
Most importantly, the community that gets the most coverage will get a healthier community, but they'll also receive a visit from President Obama to celebrate their success in helping ensure every American has health coverage.
Communities Participating in the “Healthy Communities Challenge”
If you are a member of one of these communities, you can download city-specific graphics to promote the challenge on social media, using the links below.
If you are a member of a community that is not part of the Challenge, you can still participate: Compete with a neighboring city, or reach out to your Health and Human Services Regional Director to participate in enrollment events. The goal is to make sure everyone understands how important it is to #GetCovered.