Pupusas and health insurance seem like an unlikely pair – and that’s exactly the point. Our health insurance navigators, the hundreds of experts in King County’s network who can help you sign up for health insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder, are getting creative about how to reach out to different uninsured populations in the last days before the January 31 deadline.

So where do pupusas come in? In an effort to reach members of the Latino community, the network partnered with the Salvadorean Bakery in West Seattle. The bakery — stocked with warm pupusas and other baked treats — will host an event on Friday, January 29, from 4-8pm. At this time, anyone is welcome to seek help from our English and Spanish-speaking assistors (and have a delicious snack too).

King County is home to many artists, performers and musicians, so our partner, Within Reach, picked a hip venue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle to host a happy hour for this rock star crowd. Next Monday, January 25, from 4-8pm, drummers, painters and writers (or those who wish they were) should head to Fred Wildlife Refuge.  Assistors will be there to help artists navigate the enrollment process while they sip on cocktails and gobble free appetizers.

If you drive for a living, you probably don’t have employer-based health insurance. Next Saturday, January 30, from 10am-2pm, drivers of cabs, Ubers and Lyft can take advantage of a special enrollment event designed just for them. The event will be held at Showalter Middle School in Tukwila, and translation services will be available in Amharic, Somali and Punjabi.

Our network has established relationships with libraries all over the county for enrollment events, but this week we are part of something pretty special. On Saturday, January 23, assisters will be at the Skyway Library grand opening event, where they will provide enrollment assistance and participate in the ceremonial book passing. This library will serve as an ongoing site for outreach.

With just under ten days left for enrollment, our assistors have pulled out the stops. Find an event in your neighborhood if you still need to sign up for health insurance.

Published January 21, 2016