City Council has declared Nov. 19 as “Healthy Together Day”, as part of an initiative to help the 2,000 uninsured Pittsburgh children enroll in affordable healthcare plans.
Healthy Together received a $200,000 grant from the League of Cities in July, and has been working with the Consumer Health Coalition and other organizations in communities that have a high concentration of uninsured children to inform parents of available healthcare plans for their children.
“In a state with such a rich health insurance plan for children, to know that there are kids out there who are not insured is really a shame and something that we can’t stand by and let continue,” said Executive Director of Consumer Health Coalition, Jason Snyder.
The Boyer Family, who worked with the Consumer Health Coalition to get their 2-year-old son Dawson enrolled in a health plan, highlighted the importance of health coverage for children. At one point the family forgot to re-enroll their son in a healthcare plan, and they were faced with a tough decision.
“We were like ‘Should we go to the hospital? Should we not?’ because of the money aspect of it and you should always worry about your kid’s health first and money second, and Healthy Together has allowed us to do that,” said Melanie Boyer.
To sign up or learn more about the program visit Healthy Together’s website.
