King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a countywide plan to try and enroll 180,000 King County residents into affordable health care coverage, a move prompted by the upcoming implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“Our goal is nothing less than the full enrollment of those uninsured who will become eligible for health insurance next year,” Constantine said during his 2013 State of the County Address. “Together we will create a ‘culture of coverage’ in King County.”

According to the Executive’s office, 180,000 King County residents will become eligible for subsidized health insurance or Medicaid under the ACA in 2014, and may not know it.

To maximize that enrollment, Constantine is creating a Leadership Circle from business, labor, education, health care and community organizations to “lead outreach in the sectors,” advise Constantine on the project, and also help develop outreach strategies.

Constantine named three co-chairs for what’s termed the Leadership Circle: Tom Gibbon, manager of the Community Specialty Clinic at Swedish Medical Center; Maud Daudon, President and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; and Gordon McHenry Jr., Executive Director of the non-profit Solid Ground.

Enrollment begins Oct. 1, 2013, and Constantine said the county’s Equity and Social Justice Team is also mobilizing every county agency with direct contact with the public to inform uninsured residents of the chance to enroll.

“Federal health care reform was hard-won, and presents an opportunity we must not miss,” Constantine said. “Thanks to this historic change, we can connect people to effective preventative care early, rather than expensive treatment later.”

Learn more

To learn more about the ACA, visit www.healthcare.gov/law.