Watch CBS News

Free Healthcare Fairs Aim To Help Detroiters With Affordable Care Act

DETROIT (WWJ) - A Detroit entrepreneur, and convicted felon, is doing his part to educate the public about the need for health insurance.

LaVan Hawkins, who at one time owned over 100 Burger Kings and Pizza Huts, is conducting a series of healthcare fairs later this month to educate low-income Detroit residents about how to get health coverage under the new Affordable Care Act.

"Here in the city of Detroit, you're working and you're making between $15,000 and $18,000 a year, then it puts you in a unique position to be able to qualify. The second tier of it is if you're making anywhere between $20,000 to $35,000 a year, you can get insurance that's right around $30 or $35 a month," Hawkins told WWJ's Charlie Langton.

Hawkins said it's all about helping the citizens and his friend, President Barack Obama.

"I've known the President for quite some time. As a matter of fact, I was very instrumental in his first business when he was a community organizer on the south side of Chicago, I put up a couple of Burger Kings in his district," he said.

The healthcare fairs will be conducted from October 16th through the 18th.

  • October 16,  9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
    Northwest Activity Center, 18100 Meyers Road
  • October 17, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
    Great Faith Ministries International, 10735 Grand River Avenue
  • October 18, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
    Wayne County Community College, 5901 Conner

Healthcare counselors will be on-site to walk residents through the process of signing up for health insurance. The healthcare fairs are free, but attendees are required to bring their I.D.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.