(Memphis) Dozens spent MLK Day learning to serve others by helping them sign up for the Affordable Care Act.
Most people don’t realize they can still sign up for the Affordable Care Act.
The deadline was extended after the widespread problems signing up and the disappointing enrollment numbers.
More than 150 people are now trained to help sign people up for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
More than 20 groups from schools, churches, sororities and fraternities around the Mid-South attended a special training session Monday.
Organizers say at this point, the main goal for people being trained is to get the word out that you can still sign up for the Affordable Care Act until March.
The event was at New Olivet Baptist, and Reverend Kenneth Whalum, along with Congressman Steve Cohen, hosted the event and weren’t discouraged by the poor enrollment and technological glitches the first go-round.
“I am shocked by the high number of attendees. That means there are a lot of people who need health insurance, or there are a lot of people who think there are a lot of people who need health insurance,” said Whalum.
“Injustice in healthcare is the greatest inequality Dr. King said. This is living Dr. King’s dream,” said Congressman Cohen.
Cohen says this MLK Day the key is to sign as many young people up as possible because funding to make the Affordable Care plan work depends on them.
“There has to be a balance in the demographics to make work. If the only people who were signing up were the seniors who need more healthcare services it doesn’t work,” said Cohen.
That’s where people like Kirstin Cheers come in.
She’s a student at the University of Memphis and wanted to spend MLK day serving others.
She hopes the training she learned today about how the Affordable Care Act works and how to enroll people will help her reach out to her peers.
“We’ve done all the talking, we’ve done all the conferences and everything g and now it’s time to do the work and help those who need the work,” said Cheers.
