Lt. Governor to explain Affordable Care program

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Lt. Gov. Elizabeth RobertsPROVIDENCE – On October 1, Rhode Island opened its HealthSourceRI marketplace to the community, allowing people and small businesses to enroll in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. People and owners of small businesses called, or went online at healthsourceri.com, to ask questions pertaining to the new health care system or to enroll or purchase one of the many health care insurance plans available through Rhode Island’s health insurance exchange.

The doors, or “portal,” of HealthSourceRI on opening day were extremely active, causing some slowdowns in the system. It was later explained that most of the glitches were caused by the marketplace being overrun with inquires and people enrolling. After a short period of time, most of the problems were solved. To this date, enrollment continues to be high in the state.

Questions about HealthSourceRI, like any new program, have run the gamut, including: What is HealthSource RI? How does HealthSource RI work for individuals and families? How does HealthSourceRI work for small businesses? What do health insurance plans on HealthSource RI cover? And, what if I get my health insurance at work and want to keep my current plan?

The Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Jewish Family Services and Jewish Seniors Agency will host a program on Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m. to answer these questions and others about the new way people and small businesses can purchase health care. The program will include time for questions and answers.

The featured speaker for the program will be Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts, who has taken a key role in helping to create HealthSourceRI. During her tenure as Lt. Governor, Roberts has focused on health care issues within the state. Through her leadership, Rhode Island is said to be a model for other states to follow in the development and creation of marketplaces or exchanges.

The program will be held in the Alliance JCC Social Hall. There will be one breakout session to discuss small business concerns and another to discuss individual and family concerns or questions as each group has separate plans available to handle their needs.

For more information: contact Marty Cooper at 421-4111 ext. 171 or mcooper@jewishallianceri.org.

Editor’s note: As of this writing, HealthSourceRI reports receiving several thousand phone calls and online “hits” seeking information and enrolling several hundred people.