Changes in health insurance raise many questions for consumers. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a free on-line workshop to help local residents understand how to make Smart Choices for purchasing health care coverage. The free workshop will take place Wednesday, December 10th from 6-8 p.m. To register for the workshop go on-line to http://tinyurl.com/pvmceb7. Once registered, participants will receive a website link for logging in to join the workshop from their personal computer as well as a link to access handouts.

Brenda Schmitt and Joyce Lash, Human Science Specialists in Family Finance will facilitate the workshop. Participants will understand key health insurance terms and concepts, learn to identify personal health care needs and priorities, understand key provisions of the Affordable Care Act and examine the pros and cons of hypothetical insurance plans.

The workshop is intended for both current health insurance consumers and those who are newly eligible through the Affordable Care Act. The Smart Choice workshop will not offer one on one assistance or advice for enrolling in a particular insurance plan. Questions about the on-line program can be directed to Brenda Schmitt at 641-512-0650.