Health insurance made easier

With the Affordable Care Act requiring people who can afford health insurance to get covered, it’s important to understand what having health insurance means and the options that are out there.

This is why the Coalition of Community Health Clinics has started opening their doors every Friday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. to answer questions anyone may have about different health insurance options and to enroll people in Cover Oregon insurance plans. During these hours, interested parties can drop in and chat with staff about what plan will work best for them.

According to a press release from CCHC, the organization has recently become “authorized by Cover Oregon to provide assistance with individual or household enrollment in the Oregon Health Plan,” along with other Oregon qualified health plans.

Cover Oregon is available for individuals and families who do not have insurance or who are looking for a less expensive insurance option.

“Having health coverage protects individuals and families from large medical bills. It also makes it easier to get medical care at a clinic or hospital,” states the press release.

Under Cover Oregon, people who have a pre-existing health condition will not be denied coverage, and there is no required physical exam. Insurance plans are also available for undocumented residents and recent immigrants, and if an individual doesn’t qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, they may be eligible for financial assistance.

CCHC, who has been a nonprofit network since 1985, hopes to help made the transition to new insurance easier for Oregon residents.

The organization has 14 safety-net clinic members throughout the Portland metropolitan area. As CCHC states in their press release, they help patients who are, “uninsured or under served” and strive to “provide high quality, culturally appropriate care to all patients, regardless of age, race/ethnicity, gender identification, or insurance status.”

The clinics also welcome patients no matter what their income is or their mental and physical state of being.

CCHC offers services in primary, preventive and integrative medical care along with Chinese medicine, chiropractic, naturopathic, acupuncture and conventional medicine.

For more information about the CCHC, or to make an enrollment appointment, visit coalitionclinics.org or call 503-546-4991.