Lufkin, TX: The T.L.L. Temple Foundation awarded $50,000 to Young Invincibles (YI) in July to support YI’s efforts to enroll young adults in health insurance.
“With some of the highest uninsured rates in the state, rural East Texas counties need information on obtaining affordable health insurance. There are options out there. We just want to make sure folks know what those options are. Young Invincibles has a lot of experience connecting with young adults and that is why we invested in them,” said Wynn Rosser, President and C.E.O. of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation.
Texas stands to benefit more from the American Rescue Plan than any other state, with more than half a million uninsured Texans newly eligible for tax credits and dramatic increases in subsidies for two years. With the introduction of a Special Enrollment Period (SEP), there’s an opportunity to make a significant impact.
With this grant, YI will hire and train four young adults to organize and coordinate Affordable Care Act outreach and enrollment for the 2022 open enrollment period. They will collaborate with colleges and universities, food banks and pantries, Federally Qualified Health Centers, libraries, and others in rural communities to reach the uninsured. As a result of this grant, staff expect young adults in East Texas to increase their health insurance literacy and obtain health insurance coverage.
YI will conduct this work in Angelina, Cherokee, Jefferson, Nacogdoches, and Tyler counties, and hope to make an immediate impact on the uninsured. At the forefront of this success are the four young adults hired and trained by YI to reach the uninsured. Young people report a general misunderstanding of health insurance and how to obtain it. YI personnel will meet young people in their communities and help them navigate the Marketplace to select the best plan for their individual situation. YI expects to directly reach 200 individuals and digitally reach more than 5,000.
“Thanks to the generous support from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Young Invincibles will be able to build on our progress this year to reach and enroll uninsured East Texans over the 2022 Open Enrollment Period. Our efforts, led by a diverse group of young adults, will provide accurate information to uninsured East Texans about their options to obtain health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. We are excited to partner with higher education institutions, community assistance organizations, the faith community, among many others to close the coverage gap in East Texas. The American Rescue Plan has ushered in additional resources and subsidies to increase coverage across the nation and YI is ready to take full advantage to enroll individuals this upcoming year, “ commented Aurora Harris, Southern Region Director for Young Invincibles.
In addition to the grant to YI, the foundation awarded five grants totaling $2,692,500 during its July board meeting. These grants will support the foundation’s mission to build a thriving rural East Texas while positively impacting human services, health, economic opportunity, and education.
About Young Invincibles: Young Invincibles was founded by a group of students in the summer of 2009, motivated by the recognition that young people’s voices were not being heard in the debate over health care reform. YI’s mission is to amplify the voices of young adults in the political process and expand economic opportunity for our generation. For more information, visit https://younginvincibles.org/.
