FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — On Tuesday, several organizations came together at Palatine Park to talk to the community about health care options for National Health Insurance Awareness Day.

The family-friendly event, put on by West Virginia Navigator and the Marion County Health Department, allowed parents to ask about how they can get health insurance options for themselves and their kids.

“We’re letting them know there’s a lot of affordable options available to them. We have Medicaid in the health insurance marketplace, so the marketplace is very affordable for families now and we are here to educate them,” said outreach coordinator Rebecca Reed. 

Organizers are urging people to check to see if they qualify for health insurance options since new rules under the American Rescue Plan Act have expanded eligibility.   

“A lot of people think that if they can’t get health insurance through their employer, that there’s just no really affordable options. That’s really not the case. If they don’t qualify for Medicaid a lot of times their children will qualify for the children’s health insurance plan and outside of that they can get insurance through the marketplace,” said program coordinator Nicki Bailey.

This was the first time organizers put on the health insurance awareness event and said they hope to continue it in the future.