On Wednesday, July 31, ACS CAN held an in-person national screening of the highly anticipated short film In Due Season - Stories from the Medicaid Coverage Gap at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, in Washington, D.C. ACS CAN Board of Directors Chair Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard hosted the national screening.

“Elevating this film on a national stage in Washington, D.C. through this premiere screening event is the latest in our efforts to call attention to the urgency of this issue,” said ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse. “ACS CAN will remain unwavering in our work to urge lawmakers in the states that haven’t yet expanded to do the right thing and do it quickly. For the individuals trapped in the health insurance coverage gap, there’s no more time to wait.”

The in-person screening was followed by a live panel discussion with storytellers from the film, including the director, along with Dr. Karen Winkfield, Neidre Fears, Cliff Albright and Dr. Patrice Harris, former president of the American Medical Association. The event was moderated by journalist Andrea Roane.​​

In Due Season - Stories from the Medicaid Coverage Gap features storytellers Neidre Fears, a Mississippi mom of three who was stuck in the coverage gap for many years despite working three jobs, Pamela Williams, a Georgia resident who due to a physical condition has been unable to work since 2011 lost her health insurance, and Brian Williams, a life coach from Florida who tries to manage his diabetes without health coverage. The film also featur​es Cliff Albright, co-founder of the civic education nonprofit Black Voters Matter​, as well as subject matter expert and ACS CAN board member Dr. Karen Winkfield, a radiation oncologist and Executive Director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance.

ACS CAN partnered with filmmaker Ashley O’Shay to develop the film to showcase how systemic racism contributes to health care policy decisions for Black Americans in the coverage gap. The film also highlights an urgent need for a remaining 10 states to expand Medicaid, while building on the story collection and amplification work of ACS CAN in 2018, including over 100 short videos and films from diverse groups of people in the coverage gap as well as providers, health systems administrators and businesses impacted by decisions to expand or not to expand Medicaid coverage.

View the film’s trailer that has been accepted to feature in the 22nd Run & Shoot Filmworks Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF) an Oscar Qualifying Festival​ for the Short Film Category August 2-10 in Oak Bluffs, MA.

ACS CAN, Black Voters Matter and ACS CAN’s Black Volunteer Caucus​ (BVC) will host a virtual panel following the virtual screening, featuring the storytellers from the film along with Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, Dr. Karen Winkfield, and Black Voters Matter National Field Co-Direct​​or Fenika Miller. To register for the virtual screening taking place on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. ET, visit fightcancer.org.