The deadline to get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is quickly approaching.
That’s why Swope Health Central is extending its hours to make sure people meet the January 31 deadline.
“I decided to call 211, they gave me the phone number and referred me here,” Kansas City resident Brenda Walls said. “I was going to be without health coverage and I know it's very important to have coverage just in case and I just thought that was the right thing to do. I am so glad that I came today.”
Extended hours will be from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. this Monday and Tuesday.
Dr. Karimah Baptiste-Edward said during this time of year, her schedule gets pretty busy.
“It's usually busy in the morning and closer to the evening,” she said. “We are getting quite busy because people are being driven by deadlines.”
Dr. Baptiste-Edward said right around deadline, she enrolls about seven people a day.
“An enrollment appointment can take anywhere from, depending on if someone wants to just pick a plan, if they've already went through the application, it can take from 30 minutes to a couple of hours,” Dr. Baptiste-Edward said. “Also it depends on how many people are in the household, how many people are in the coverage, so it varies.”
She said one of the biggest concerns people had with this year’s open enrollment, was the increase in premiums.
“We did educate consumers that although premiums did increase, their tax credit will kind of soften that blow,” she said.
Since open enrollment began on November 1, Swope Health employees said they had about 1,200 people enroll and will continue to see more people stop in until the 31st.
If you do still need to enroll, you can contact Swope Health Central at 816-599-5590.
While walk-ins are welcome, it is high encouraged to schedule an appointment.
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Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.
