The Time is Ticking to Get Covered

By Kyle Pongan. Sponsored by Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)


As the son of an an immigrant from the Philippines and growing up with both parents who are nurses, I get how important health care is. And I get how hard it is to afford health insurance coverage and how confusing it can be to even sign up.

The thing is, I've been a hair stylist and a musician since 2015, and neither profession offers health insurance coverage. All that changed with the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). Thanks to the law, I've been able to apply for and enroll in coverage at www.healthcare.gov, whether living in New York or now Philadelphia. For the past three years, I've had coverage that I can afford and count on. So no more crossing my fingers that I don't get sick.

I followed these steps to get covered:

White House to honor "Champions of Change" for Affordable Care Act outreach to AAPIs

Recognition honors eleven community leaders' work to educate AAPIs about access to health care

This week, the White House and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services will honor eleven advocates and community leaders as "Champions of Change" for their work to educate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders about the Affordable Care Act.

The event, to be held at the White House this Thursday, April 24, will celebrate the leadership, commitment, and hard work of navigators, consumer assisters, community health centers, and other individuals or organizations that have focused on ensuring that AAPIs fully benefit from health reform.

Some facts about Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders and health care access: One in four Korean Americans is uninsured; nearly 40% of Asian American women over the age of 40 haven't had a routine mammogram; one in four Asian Americans over the age of 18 -- and one in three Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders -- have not seen a doctor in the last year.

Thursday's event will recognize outreach and education efforts to provide nearly two million uninsured Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with quality, affordable health care. Here are the Champions of Change -- special shout out to my old friend Priscilla Huang, Policy Director for the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

National AAPI Enrollment Week of Action Google+ Hangout

Wednesday, March 19 at 5:00pm ET

There are under two weeks left in the open enrollment period for individuals to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The deadline is March 31. Have you gotten covered yet?

Tomorrow afternoon, as part of AAAPI Enrollment Week of Action, the White House Initiative on AAPIs will host a Google+ Hangout with senior HHS officials and community leaders to answer questions from the public about the Affordable Care Act and why it matters to AAPIs. It's happening Wednesday, March 19 at 5:00pm ET.

Participants in the Hangout will include Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, Meena Seshamani, Deputy Director in the Office of Health Reform, and other community leaders who will be answering your questions. Here are some more details:

Learn about the Health Insurance Marketplace in Chinese

White House hosting Mandarin in-language Google Hangout on January 23, 3:00pm ET

To inform the AAPI community about access to health coverage through the Affordable Care Act and the new Health Insurance Marketplace, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has been hosting a series of Google Hangouts in AAPI languages. Previous Hangouts have been presented in Korean and Vietnamese.

The next Hangout is in Mandarin, happening Thursday, January 23 at 3:00pm ET.

There will be a live question and answer period with Mandarin-speaking representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who will respond to your questions and provide information on how to obtain health care coverage through the new Marketplace.

Here are some more details about the upcoming Hangout, in both English and Chinese:

Did you know that one in five Vietnamese Americans lacks health insurance coverage?

White House hosting Vietnamese in-language Google Hangout on November 6, 3:00-4:00pm EST

In an effort to answer questions and spread the word about what the new Health Insurance Marketplace means for members of the AAPI community, particularly those with limited English proficiency, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is hosting a series of in-language Google Hangouts.

The next session will be held in Vietnamese, happening Wednesday, November 6 from 3:00 to 4:00pm. During the Hangout, there will be a live question-and-answer period with Vietnamese-speaking representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They'll respond to your questions and provide information on how to obtain health care coverage through the new Marketplace.

Here's some more info on the next Hangout:

#GetCovered: Health Care, Open Enrollment and AAPIs

Why is health care important to you?



Today's the day. As you may have heard, open enrollment for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") begins today. What does this mean for our community?

First, here's a handy infographic, courtesy of our friend Karthick Ramakrishnan of AAPI Data, breaking down what the new health reform law means for two million uninsured Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders:

White House Initiative on AAPIs hosting in-language Google Hangouts about health coverage

The first Hangout will be in Korean, August 27.

Nearly 1 in 5 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders do not have health insurance. That's a serious statistic, but the Obama administration is hoping that health coverage will be more accessible for everyone through the Affordable Care Act. So what does that actually mean for Asian Americans?

To provide information about the new Health Insurance Marketplace to members of the AAPI community, particularly those with limited English proficiency, the White House Initiative on AAPIs will host a series of online Google Hangouts in AAPI languages.

The first of these Hangouts will be in Korean, happening Tuesday, August 27 from 3:00-4:00pm EST. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will answer questions and provide info on how to obtain health care coverage through the new Marketplace:

Here's some more info on Tuesday's Hangout in Korean: