This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake County has put together a page on its website to help residents, as well as its employees, navigate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare.
Enrollment in the program is set to begin Oct. 1, said county spokeswoman Robin Chalhoub, adding "we have a huge portion of our public that is unaware of their need to participate and of what the ramifications of the act are."
So the county built the webpage — http://www.slco.org/humanservices/affordablecareact — to help people understand the changes that will take place in health insurance coverage when Obamacare kicks in.
The page has tabs that provide information about the act in general, the health-insurance marketplace, enrollment procedures and descriptions of provisions applicable to small businesses, individuals and families, Chalhoub pointed out last week to the Salt Lake County Council.
She added that information is available in English and Spanish, and specific sections within the site address issues pertinent to different groups — from American Indians and Pacific Islanders to seniors and students.
In addition, Chalhoub said, there are links to federal and state sites that have background information on various aspects of the plan, which goes into effect Jan. 1.
"We have all the social media links too," she added, noting that "a number of YouTube videos are very informative and provide good overviews of the law."
On the website, County Mayor Ben McAdams said he hopes the webpage will help people get the information they need on the three basic questions of expanded health-care coverage: How do you find what's available? What does it cost? When will the benefits start to flow?
"Health care is a very personal issue that touches all our lives," he said. "My hope is that the information available here assists you and your family in making the best possible choice for you."
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The site
Information about enrolling in Affordable Care Act health-care coverage is available on a new Salt Lake County website, http://www.slco.org/humanservices/affordablecareact.