SC McDonald’s Employees #GetCovered While at Work

With only a week left before the deadline to sign up for  health insurance  in 2014 without penalties, groups across South Carolina and the nation are hard at work helping families get enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, enrolling “young invincibles” in a marketplace plan is critical to the success of the new healthcare system. Here’s the story of one woman’s strategy for reaching young, low-wage workers in rural South Carolina — she meets them where they are.

Over the last several months, Anne Fulcher, a Certified Application Counselor at Rural Health Services Health Center, has enrolled over 150 young adults employed at McDonald’s restaurants near Aiken, SC.

All of those enrolled were under 35 years of age and all qualified for tax credits.  Ms. Fulcher partnered with one of the local McDonald’s franchises and visited all seven of their stores, some more than once, between January and March 2014.   Many of these young adults have never had health insurance and were very excited about the addition of health coverage to  their lives.  Ms. Fulcher experienced similar results at local pawn shops and child care centers.

Worksite enrollment events have proven to be a best practice to reach the young and invincible in South Carolina and Georgia. During the week, most uninsured, low-wage workers are unable to take time off of work to learn about the Affordable Care Act or the coverage options available to them. Or they may not understand how affordable these plans could be for them and their families. Worksite enrollment strategies allow us to reach an audience not captured at other faith-based or community functions.

You can bet Anne Fulcher and her team at Rural Health Services, Inc. will be back at it this week working hard to help more of South Carolina’s uninsured have a chance to sign up for this important coverage.

Another enrollment event will be held on:

 After open enrollment ends, worksite education fairs may prove equally effective to raise awareness about access to affordable health coverage in the Marketplace during special enrollment and open enrollment periods.

Congratulations Rural Health Services, Inc. on this successful best practice to enroll the young and invincible!  For more information, contact Ms. Fulcher at (803) 593-0261 or Gail Diggs, Outreach and Enrollment Coordinator at (803) 380-7013.