Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) and other community partners participated in a press conference held by Asian American Advancing Justice-LA (AAAJ) in regards to Covered California open enrollment period and the importance of the AAPI community signing up for health coverage. As part of the Health Access Project (HAP) at Advancing Justice-LA, community stories are utilized as a tool for policy advocacy and public education. Clients were asked to share their story about the importance of having health insurance coverage. Jerry Raburn, a client of AAAJ, shared his story of his mother’s health coverage with Medi-Cal. His mother was in the intensive care unit and hospitalized for three months due to a serious life-threatening illness, eventually requiring surgery. The financial toll of a 3-month hospitalization in addition to the surgery and the rehabilitation afterwards would have been astronomically unaffordable. But thanks to being covered under Medi-Cal, his mother is alive and healthy and his family has not been crippled by medical debt. Jerry’s experience with his mother’s Medi-Cal coverage influenced him re-connect with the Thai communities in Southern California. He is now an intern with Thai CDC and has trained to be Certified Enrollment Counselor, who can help community members in applying for health coverage. Health insurance is about protecting families from unexpected medical illnesses and expenses. Thai CDC is committed to addressing the health and human service needs of the Thai population and encourages members of Thai community in Los Angeles to sign up for health coverage. For information and assistance in enrolling in health coverage, please contact Thai CDC at (323) 468-2555.
Please click the link for the audio recording of his remark and the link to the press release for more information about enrolling for affordable health care.
