The Afro
January 30, 2015

Orioles star Adam Jones is throwing his celebrity behind an effort to get all eligible Marylanders to sign up for health insurance on the Maryland health exchange before the sign-up window closes on Feb. 15.

Jones is teaming up with the Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition to release a radio ad encouraging Marylanders to call 211 for information about their health insurance eligibility.

The ad begins with a fictional sportscaster running down some of Jones’s numbers from the 2014 season, and asking the centerfielder which of those numbers is most important. “It’s 211,” Jones answers, and when asked what’s important about that number, Jones replies, “On the telephone, you can now call 211 for help with health insurance.”

According to Vincent Demarco, a spokesperson for Maryland Health Care for All!, the coalition is comprised of more than 750 faith, community, labor, and health care groups.

“The Maryland health exchange is working very well,” Demarco told the AFRO. “Over 190,000 people have enrolled since Nov. 15, and our goal is that every Marylander who’s eligible for health care under the Affordable Care Act gets enrolled.”

Demarco said the coalition has been working on the healthcare issue since 1999, and that it has sought to educate Marylanders about the Affordable Care Act since its passage in 2009. The group previously recorded ads with members of the Baltimore and Washington NFL franchises, and reached out to the Orioles for the latest ad, with Adam Jones eventually volunteering for the campaign.

“We’re thrilled that [Jones] wants to do this and put his voice to making sure every Marylander who’s eligible for health care gets it,” said Demarco. – See more at: http://afro.com/orioles-adam-jones-backs-effort-to-enroll-marylanders-for-health-insurance/#sthash.yYaySNb8.dpuf

Last modified: February 2, 2015