Politics & Government

No ObamaCare Partnership at Public Libraries, Official Says

Public libraries in Montgomery County will not set aside computers for heath care sign-ups, according to library leadership.

Original reporting by Brittany Tressler

According to Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library Executive Director Kathleen Arnold-Yerger, public libraries in the county will not participate in the new partnership between the American Library Association and the White House, which will promote ObamaCare.

During a recent municipal presentation, Perkiomen Township Commissioner Richard Kratz questioned Arnold-Yerger about the recently announced campaign, in which 17,000 U.S. libraries will help to spread the word about the new health care law, and will give the public access to computers to sign up.

Arnold-Yerger said she was “shocked” when she heard about the partnership.

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“I thought, ‘Gee, they think libraries are going to put the few computers that we have aside for people to sign up for health care?’” Arnold-Yerger said.

According to the Obama administration, libraries are a great place to learn about the new healthcare system before its October kick-off, when Americans can start shopping for insurance online at new websites.

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"Libraries are a tremendous resource for people in their communities," said U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokeswoman Julie Bataille said, according to Fox News. "They're already a destination many individuals go to when they're seeking out information and understanding on a variety of issues."

However, library employees have to be very careful when it comes to asking questions from customers, according Arnold-Yerger.

“When people come in with health questions and legal questions, we, as a profession, have to be very careful has we respond to them,” Arnold-Yerger said. “We will send them to the law library, to medical sites, but we have to be careful that we do not push people either way.”


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