Residents Urged to Sign Up Before March 31 ACA Deadline
In light of the March 31 sign up deadline for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance mandate, Dr. Robert Winn, associate vice president for community based practice, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, urges African Americans to take advantage of the opportunity to get covered.
“The leading cause of death for African American men and women is lung cancer,” said Winn who stressed the importance of screenings and preventative medicine that health coverage would provide to catch a disease such a lung cancer. “When you think of the ACA, African Americans carry the most disease. This will be the first time African Americans will have access to health coverage in this way. People who don’t sign up are doing themselves a disservice.”
Winn added when you have health insurance you have options and recommended that African Americans, who live nearby, visit the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System’s, Mile Square Health Center at 1220 S. Wood Street.
The , University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System’s new 5-story 121,750 square foot facility is Mile Square Health Center's primary practice site and is located just around the corner from UI Health's Hospital and its dozens of outpatient clinics.
Offering a wide array of Medical Care and Social Services for the uninsured, including family and pediatric medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, specialty care, imaging and mammography services, urgent care, optometry, mental health services and an onsite medical laboratory, the Miles Square Center also offers a sliding fee scale for the underinsured.
“We have the first urgent care clinic in this city,” said Winn. “Not only do we have doctors, we have specialists. We’re one of the few places that do not ask whether you can pay before you receive care. We will turn no one away. People are coming in and are being signed up for coverage. With the ACA comes the responsibility of implementing it.”
Walk-in visitors are welcome and served on a first-come, first-served basis.
This health center also includes electronic dispensation of medications and on-site Certified Application Counselors (CACs) available to educate and enroll patients for health insurance.
The Wood Street location serves:
• Near West Side
• Little Italy
• Pilsen
• Lawndale
• University Village
• UIC East and West Campuses
• Illinois Medical District and the surrounding areas.
For an appointment to sign up for coverage or to see a doctor, call 312.996.2000
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