Kynect: Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection
Kentucky’s Healthcare Exchange is happening!
Open enrollment begins October 1, 2013, with coverage beginning as soon as January 2014.
Why is this a big deal? An estimated 640,000 Kentuckians are uninsured as of 2013, or 14.9 percent of the state’s population. Kentucky has decided that it’s worth pursuing options to ensure that EVERY Kentuckian has access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Obviously, there are a lot of questions (and a boatload of misinformation!) so I’ve gathered the following resources:
More: Kynect: Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection
FAQ page:
kynect FAQ
There is also a Facebook page
As someone who was without access to affordable healthcare AND affordable health insurance for more than a decade, and have watched many dear friends unnecessarily suffer and die, this is personal for me. Even though I now enjoy the benefits of very good union insurance, I remember the despair of knowing “shut up and die quietly” and don’t wish that on anyone.
Kentucky is often described as a deep red state (and with senators like McConnell and Paul, it’s hard to argue that), but with a Democratic governor and a bipartisan General Assembly, sometimes common sense prevails.
I hope this works, despite a few inevitable stumbles, and can be an example to the rest of the country.
Fellow Kentucky lizards, I encourage you to read up and be prepared to spread the word.