At the Moline office for Project of the Quad Cities, counselors are available around the clock to help Illinois residents get signed up for healthcare before the February 15th deadline.
"We are here to answer questions, we have our 24 our line going. I talked to one lady at 12:43 A.M. after she got off work," said Wendy Kelly, the Executive Director for The Project of the Quad Cities. "She had a ton of questions about what [to do] and after about 20 minutes, we talked through some solutions, and she's going to come in Monday morning."
Kelly said they are anticipating a heavy influx of callers over the next week who will be trying to sign up for healthcare before the February 15th deadline.
It's why GetCoveredIllinois.gov is airing a PSA, called the "Luck Health Plan," that encourages young adults to sign up for health insurance, by sarcastically showing what happens when they rely on "luck" to get them through life.
"Young people think it can't happen to them. I'm young, I'm healthy, nothing is going to happen to me, it'll be alright," said Kelly. "They don't see the necessity because health insurance has a cost. So trying to get people to understand, especially younger folks, that this is a very important thing."
However, Kelly said it's not just the cost that is discouraging people from signing up for healthcare. It's also the enrollment process that can be confusing for many who have never had health insurance before.
"A lot of times people just have some questions and don't want to feel stupid if they come in and ask us face to face," Kelly said. "After they call us, they're much more relaxed, they get it. Because if you read any of the literature, it gets into a lot of details, and even trying to navigate the healthcare system, there's a lot of detail in it. For someone to sit with them and explain it in layman's terms, and explain it to them, makes a huge difference."
Up until midnight on February 15, licensed counselors will be available for around-the-clock assistance by telephone to Rock Island County residents. Anyone who hasn’t gotten qualified health coverage or who has questions about the Affordable Care Act are invited to call.
The number is 309-269-9306.
GetCoveredIllinois.gov is only for Illinois residents. For Iowa residents, and other states, you must go to healthcare.gov to sign up for coverage.