Young adults can learn more about their health insurance options at a free health insurance presentation Thursday at the Northern Illinois University facility in Rockford.
Certified helpers will answer questions and help enroll participants for health insurance before the Feb. 15 deadline.
This National Youth Enrollment Day event is for young adults between the ages of 18 and 26. Juliana Barker, a grant coordinator at the Winnebago County Health Department, says young adults may not be properly educated about insurance.
“Unfortunately in most school districts they don’t teach how to use insurance," she said, "and when you’re growing up, mom and dad do it all for you.
“So once you hit college and you’re away from home it’s like, ‘Oh I need to go find a doctor; well, how do I do that?’ ‘Oh mom and dad did give me their insurance card, but I don’t know what to do with it’ ... so it's teaching people what to do with it as well.”
Barker says young adults are a high-risk group and need to be covered. “One in five young adults in the United States lacks health insurance,” she said. “Young people usually end up in the emergency room more than any other age group besides the elderly.”
Crystal Miller, a field organizer with the Get Covered America Campaign, also emphasizes the importance of insurance for young adults. “This is a great opportunity for people to get out and get that free in-person assistance in enrolling,” she said.
“Nobody can foresee the future, somebody could slip on the ice tomorrow and break their bone and have thousands of dollars in medical bills in taking care of that.”
The event is open to students and the general public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at NIU-Rockford, 8500 East State Street.
The following will be required to enroll for health insurance:
- Government-issued ID (Driver’s License, State ID, Military ID)
- Social Security Number/Immigration documents (Residency or Citizenship)
- Employer income verification for household (W-2, Income Tax, or Pay Stubs),
- Policy numbers for any current health insurance plan
The event is being hosted by Northern Illinois University, Enroll America and the Get Covered America Campaign.