New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed he is recruiting city workers to help New Yorkers enroll in health insurance.
The mayor's office said in a Jan. 22 news release that Mr. de Blasio signed an executive order requiring city agencies to provide residents with information on coverage options and encourage them to enroll in health insurance, including the city's public option, MetroPlus.
The office said the mayor's public engagement unit will train agency staff, provide agencies with relevant information and create a framework "to ensure all New Yorkers who interact with the city get information to help them access affordable health insurance."
City workers will help enroll residents at locations such as parks, schools, public housing, police precincts and government offices.
The executive order comes in addition to other efforts under GetCoveredNYC, a citywide outreach initiative created by the mayor in 2016 that helps with health insurance enrollment. It also comes amid the mayor's healthcare plan that he says will guarantee primary and specialty care to 600,000 uninsured city residents.
Open enrollment in New York state's official health insurance marketplace ends Jan. 31.