N.J. Hispanic leader joins Horizon to promote Latino access to health insurance

With national studies showing one in four Hispanic residents still lacking health insurance, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) has joined with the Chairman of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to urge Latinos to obtain coverage during the 2015 enrollment period, and raise awareness to bilingual resources available through Horizon BCBSNJ.

'Latinos face unique obstacles to obtaining health coverage due to not only the complexity of insurance itself, but to the language barriers many must overcome as insurance consumers,' said Carlos Medina, Chairman of the New Jersey Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 'To its credit, Horizon has helped to bridge the language and cultural gaps in many ways, such as bringing bilingual agents to locations in New Jersey's Hispanic communities.'

Medina on Dec. 11 toured one of four Horizon BCBSNJ mall locations - Newport Center Mall in Jersey City -- where bilingual agents are available to assist Hispanics with their health insurance questions and needs. The other mall locations include Jersey Gardens (Elizabeth), Willowbrook Mall (Wayne) and Woodbridge Center. Medina was joined in the Newport Mall visit by Joseph Albano, Vice President of Consumer and Dental Markets for Horizon BCBSNJ, and Jersey City officials.

'As we work to develop a healthier Jersey City, we know providing health care coverage for all residents is critical, especially our traditionally underserved non-English speaking residents,' said Mayor Steven Fulop. 'We are pleased that Horizon has selected the Newport location, as it is close to a Hispanic service provider and will benefit generations of Spanish-speaking families.' Albano added that the mall locations are a part of a larger effort to improve the health literacy of and assist Hispanic residents with health insurance.

'Through our Spanish language website, Horizon Azul, Spanish-speaking phone agents, and bilingual representatives who work throughout New Jersey's communities, Horizon is committed to helping Latino consumers with their health insurance needs,' he said. Albano also noted that consumers seeking to obtain coverage through the Federal Marketplace with an effective date of January 1, 2015, must purchase their plan by December 15.

To accommodate these consumers, all mall locations will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 12 midnight from Friday, December 12 through Monday December 15 as part of the company's Insure-a-Thon enrollment push. For everyone else shopping for coverage during the open enrollment period, the deadline is February 15, 2015.

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