Now that the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions to expand health insurance coverage are in effect, time is ticking for consumers to sign up for a health insurance plan through the Federal or State Health Insurance Marketplaces.  Monday, March 31, is the last day to sign up for coverage through the Marketplaces. While there is no deadline for eligible people to enroll in Medicaid, many consumers are still confused or uninformed about their coverage options under the ACA, and if they are eligible for subsidized insurance plans or Medicaid.

Black Americans are especially likely to be affected by the ACA coverage expansions–21% of Black Americans lack health coverage today (compared to 13% of Whites). Black Americans are also the group most at risk of falling into the “coverage gap” created in states that have decided not to implement the Medicaid expansion to low-income adults.

Featuring Foundation health policy experts, the webinar provided an update on insurance enrollment efforts in different states and on what we knew about enrollment to date in the Marketplaces and Medicaid. The webinar also discussed how state Medicaid expansion decisions were expected to affect Blacks in the U.S.  Presenters included Director of State Health Reform Jennifer Tolbert; Director of the Disparities Policy Project Samantha Artiga; and Senior Policy Analyst Jessica Stephens.  The discussion was moderated by Penny Duckham, Executive Director of the Media Fellowships Program. The brief presentations were followed by a Q & A session with KFF’s policy experts.