In This Issue

We're starting off this issue with an important reminder: If you are purchasing health insurance on HealthCare.gov and want your insurance to begin on January 1, 2015, you only have 20 days left to buy it.

We're running three stories about the ACA this week. The first reminds us that this year's enrollment window is much shorter than last. The second reports that more states are expected to expand Medicaid in 2014; unfortunately not Florida or Texas, states with large uninsured populations. Finally, a recent ACA progress report shows that significant advancements have been made over the past year in reducing the number of Blacks and Latinos who are uninsured.

We also report on the dangers of smoking, which are greater for PLWHA. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) has released its latest study of domestic violence in LGBT communities, showing that many people of color are in the danger zone.

Finally, we want to alert you that next week we'll publish the first story in a series about how the Affordable Care Act is failing in Mississippi. We urge you to pay particular attention to that piece about the state of healthcare in our nation's unhealthiest state.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill