Fontana Regional Library locations in Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties are working with community partners to help people sign up for health insurance. Open Enrollment for Affordable Care Act health insurance policies closes on December 15. Before then, there are several in-person events to connect people to Certified Application Counselors and Navigators who provide free and unbiased help in choosing and signing up for a plan. Most people in North Carolina who sign up for a plan are eligible for a subsidy that helps pay the premium.
In Bryson City on Friday, December 13, there will be an enrollment event at the Marianna Black Library from 10:00 to 5:00. One-on-one assistance signing up for a plan will be available by appointment and on a drop-in basis during those hours. Call Linda Fitzsimmons at 828-550-7908 for more information.
In Sylva, the Jackson County Public Library will host last-minute enrollment events on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday December 15, with drop-in appointments available from 10:30 to 3:30. (The library will be closed during the Sunday event, which will take place in the Atrium.) Bilingual appointments are available.
Other Fontana Regional Library locations have already hosted enrollment events with Certified Application Counselors and are providing information about events at other locations.
For anyone who needs to enroll in a plan but cannot attend an event, one-on-one appointments are still available. You can make an appointment with a local Navigator or Certified Application Counselor by calling 855-733-3711 or 828-492-4111. A local insurance agent can also assist with enrollment. To enroll on your own, visit www.HealthCare.gov or call the Marketplace Call Center at 800-318-2596.
The Certified Application Counselors and Navigators are working through two local organizations, Legal Aid of North Carolina, which is part of the NC Navigator Consortium, and Mountain Projects, Inc.
Fontana Regional Library and dozens of other public libraries and library systems across the U.S. have received grants from the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association, to do this work as part of a national partnership funded by Community Catalyst and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The funding received by Fontana Regional Library has been used to support advertising of Open Enrollment events and other enrollment resources.
For more information about how to sign up for health insurance, call or visit your local Fontana Regional Library location, which can put you in touch with a Certified Application Counselor or Navigator.
