YORK COUNTY—November is usually the time when many people sign up for or update their employer-provided health insurance and Medicare plans. However, on the Peninsula, 87,000 families are working but do not have health insurance due to cost.
November 15–19 is ALICE week, which stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed, a program that is meant to provide awareness for people who are employed—and have even been frontline workers during the pandemic—but still cannot afford health insurance and do not seek medical care regularly.
ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living. This means these households are just one emergency away from poverty. These households can include anyone: a single adult, a senior citizen, a college student, a single parent, a family with kids, a young couple, or an elderly widow or widower. ALICE individuals and families struggle to afford basic necessities, including housing, food, childcare, and transportation—in addition to health care.
Fortunately, these ALICE workers typically qualify for care at the Lackey Clinic in Yorktown and other free clinics in the area. The Lackey Clinic is a faith-based, free, and charitable healthcare center that provides high-quality healthcare service for low-income workers, as well as uninsured adults on the Virginia Peninsula. They provide primary and specialty medical care, dental care, virtual urgent care, better vision care, free and low-cost medications, behavioral health counseling, telehealth services, and spiritual care. The clinic serve Newport News, Williamsburg, James City County, York County, and Poquoson.
Although ALICE week 2021 is almost over, contributions can be made at any time through organizations such as the Lackey Clinic and the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula for those who wish to help.