The Massachusetts Health Care Connector is again moving to raise awareness of affordable health insurance plans available to Bay State residents.

“People know to expect us showing up this time of year,” said Jason Lefferts, the health connector’s director of communications and outreach. “We know some communities have higher rates without insurance, and we want to be in those communities.”

Since 2016, Lefferts said, the health connector has been going on “business walks” as part of an effort to reach vulnerable populations throughout the state and target communities where health insurance rates are particularly low, including neighborhoods like Dorchester. By applying for health insurance through the Health Connector, Lefferts said, residents and businesses that qualify can save up to several thousand dollars in costs every year.

As of 2019, the rate of uninsurance throughout Massachusetts was 3 percent, significantly lower when compared to the 2020 national average of 8.5 percent recorded by the US Census Bureau.

But when the focus narrows in on certain neighborhoods in Massachusetts, the gaps in health insurance coverage become wider. In Dorchester, the uninsured rate is 6.8 percent, while Boston overall is at of 4.7 percent, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.

Most Massachusetts residents are required to have health insurance, or face paying a penalty. 

This Saturday (Dec. 18), the Health Connector is hosting a holiday-themed event in Dorchester to share information about enrolling in health insurance. The event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Modern Part Art, 268 Bowdoin St. near the Restaurante Cesaria will feature an artisan craft market, raffle prizes, Santa Claus, and holiday-themed treats. Health Connector navigators will be on hand help people sign up for insurance.

The open enrollment period started Nov. 1 and will run through Jan. 23. But the deadline to enroll in health insurance that would begin in 2022 is Dec. 23. Appointments can be made with the health connector’s navigators on its website, mahealthconnector.org, over the phone, or in-person at one of the health connector’s locations. 

By the end of the enrollment period, Lefferts said, the agency will have placed 2,000 signs in locations across the state through its business walks.