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Congressional Black Caucus urges African-Americans to #GetCovered
by Lilly Workneh | October 1, 2013

The Congressional Black Caucus joined President Obama — and supporters of the Affordable Care Act — in advocating for the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured to #GetCovered.

The social-media-friendly tagline was launched as part of a national campaign to raise awareness of the new health care coverage options available under the law.

The CBC has been a strong long-time supporter of Obamacare and the organization has doubled down on their efforts to advocate for the law, especially among African-American communities.

On Tuesday, as major aspects of the Affordable Care Act began, the organization sent a message reflecting on the importance of the health care law and urging African-Americans to review the new options provided to them through the newly-estabalished Health Insurance Marketplace.

Data has shown that nearly 1 in 5 African-Americans in the U.S. are without health insurance and in general, blacks are less likely to receive quality care when there is access to primary care physician. Blacks are also more likely to face life-threatening diseases like obesity and diabetes.

“The Congressional Black Caucus has long been a champion for the Affordable Care Act,” Rep. Marcia L. Fudge wrote in an email. “We advocated for Community Health Centers that will now receive $11 billion to treat their patients, most of whom are people of color or from low-income and rural communities. We have hosted town halls and information sessions to make sure our communities are ready to participate in the state and federal exchanges.”

“The CBC will continue to stand up, speak out and defend the Affordable Care Act. I am proud that we have not allowed anyone to stop us from doing what’s best for the American people,” she added.

For more information on how to #GetCovered, visit www.HealthCare.gov.

Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works