CoverMe Foundation to assist uninsured African-Americans find health insurance

- The CoverMe Foundation, a national non-profit organization, has announced it will offer a free comprehensive program that helps locate health care coverage available to the uninsured and underserved groups such as the elderly, disabled and pregnant women.

The CoverMe Foundation wants to help improve the quality of life for all Americans nationwide, particularly African-Americans.

The number of uninsured African-Americans is approaching crisis stage. Of the approximately 35.5 million African-Americans in the U.S., more than seven million, or about 20 percent, are uninsured, compared to the 11 percent of non-Hispanic whites who lack health coverage. Of those seven million uninsured African-Americans, 1.6 million are children, accounting for one out of every seven African-American children.

“The number of underinsured and uninsured African Americans is very disturbing,” said Alec Shea, president of The CoverMe Foundation. “We think that everyone in the United States should have access to healthcare coverage and services regardless of race and economic status. Our goal is to also make the application process as easy as possible for African Americans without health care insurance with our toll-free number and Web site.”

The CoverMe Foundation’s goal for long-term health for African Americans also includes information on prescription assistance programs and medical treatment programs.

“The comprehensive assistance is at the heart of the foundation’s work in trying to close the health care gap between America’s 47 million uninsured and the health care resources that are available to them,” Shea added. “We work hard to make the difference, to always be there for our communities.”

The CoverMe Foundation is funded by a $2.5 million grant from The WellPoint Foundation Inc., which supports innovative programs that help cover the uninsured.

“We are proud to support the The CoverMe Foundation, an organization that is dedicated to improving the health care of our communities and working with uninsured individuals and their families to actually get them insured,” said Caz Matthews, president of The WellPoint Foundation Inc.

For more information on The CoverMe Foundation and its services, or if you are an organization or individual interested in partnering with CMF in its efforts to help America’s uninsured population, please call 1 (877) NSUREME-1 or visit the Web site at http://www.covermefoundation.org.