Be Covered Texas Campaign and Community Partners Working Together To Reach Uninsured Texans

RICHARDSON, Texas, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Be Covered Texas campaign announced partnerships with 28 organizations, including community groups, direct service agencies, advocacy groups and churches. These organizations represent the campaign's first partners in the ongoing effort to raise awareness among uninsured Texans about how the new health care law impacts them and how they can take steps to access individual health insurance. The enrollment period for uninsured Texans opens in October, with health care plans beginning in January 2014.

New campaign partners include: Asian American Family Services, Asian American Health Coalition, Bethel's Place, Dallas Bethlehem Center, Dallas NAACP, Family Compass Group, Ferguson Road Initiative, Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Houston NAACP, It's Time Texas, Jubilee Park and Community Center, Las Comadres Para Las Americas, LULAC Greater Houston Council 4967, Marathon Kids, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Clinic Inc., OCA Greater Houston Chapter, SER Jobs for Progress, South Asian Chamber of Commerce, St. Luke United Methodist, Texas NAACP, Texas Women's Empowerment Foundation, The School Zone - West Dallas, Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas, Vecinos Unidos, Inc., Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation, VN Teamwork, and Windsor Village United Methodist Church.

"We are proud to partner with these organizations because they share our commitment to expanding access to health care coverage in Texas. We look forward to working together to educate uninsured consumers about their coverage choices," said Bert Marshall, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. "These partnerships create a strong foundation for our outreach effort, and we will continue to seek additional partners that can help us reach and inform as many Texans as possible."

Through their partnership with the Be Covered Texas campaign, each organization will have access to educational materials and guidance in both English and Spanish. The Be Covered Texas campaign will work with the organizations to distribute information and raise awareness at their existing events, and will also host education and enrollment events as the enrollment period approaches. Already, Be Covered Texas has participated in events with It's Time Texas, Marathon Kids, and the Jubilee Park and Community Center, as well as others.

The Be Covered Texas partner organizations serve a variety of communities and constituencies but are unified in their desire to share information about the upcoming health insurance marketplace and how individuals and families can best navigate the changes ahead. Several organizations outlined their reasons for joining the Be Covered Texas campaign below, and a full list can be found at www.becoveredtexas.org.

• "The Texas NAACP is excited to be part of the Be Covered Texas campaign. With the new marketplace opening in 2014, Texans have many options now available to them. With Be Covered Texas we can help educate our members about the various choices." - Carol Moore, Health Chair, Texas NAACP
• "The 2011 US Census states Hispanics represent 37% of Texas' population and more than 58% of the state's uninsured. We hope that by partnering with Be Covered Texas, we can help educate our members about how they can qualify for assistance with health insurance in 2014." - Richard Reyes, President of LULAC Greater Houston Council 4967
• "The West Dallas School Zone focuses on closing the education gap in urban, low-income communities. We see the Be Covered Texas education effort as a vehicle for us to help provide information to our communities about the health insurance options that will become available starting next year." - Esmeralda Ortiz, Director, The School Zone - West Dallas
• "Marathon Kids and Be Covered Texas are a perfect match. Marathon Kids is committed to improving children's health by providing them with the motivation, tools and support in order to live happier, healthier lifestyles. Health insurance is a key element in ensuring that children receive necessary health care." - Christine Pollei, Executive Director, Marathon Kids (Statewide)
• "We are dedicated to providing health education services to our members. With access to the Be Covered Texas campaign resources, we're able to educate our members about the changing face of health insurance and how they can qualify for health insurance under the new exchange." - Shane Chen, Chief Operating Officer, Asian American Health Coalition (Houston)
• "St. Luke United Methodist Church is proud to partner with the Be Covered Texas campaign to provide educational information about the new health insurance marketplace to its members and community." - Dr. Henry Masters, Sr. Pastor, St. Luke United Methodist Church (Dallas)

Be Covered Texas has ongoing outreach efforts underway and will continue to create partnerships with community and civic groups. Interested partners can request more information at www.becoveredtexas.org. The campaign website will also share information about insurance coverage, benefits plan options, and important requirements of the new Federal health care law. As the deadline for purchasing individual insurance approaches, the website will help guide Texans through the enrollment process.

About Be Covered Texas
Be Covered Texas is a campaign focused on helping uninsured Texans understand how the new health care law impacts them and what steps they need to take to gain access to individual health insurance. The campaign will work with community partners to provide user-friendly information and on-the-ground guidance with the ultimate goal of helping Texans Be Covered. The campaign is fully funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. To receive alerts from the Be Covered Texas campaign text 33633 with the word JOINTX for English updates or UNIRTX for Spanish updates.
www.becoveredtexas.org | twitter.com/becovered | facebook.com/becovered.org

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 40,000 physicians and 400 hospitals to serve 4.8 million members in all 254 counties.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (which operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma and New Mexico), the country's largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall.  Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
BCBSTX.com | Twitter.com/BCBSTX | Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas | YouTube.com/BCBSTX

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas