AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

THE TRUTH ABOUT OBAMACARE

 

 I wanted to  share information on the AFFORDABLE  CARE ACT so many of us don't have health insurance, because we simply can't afford it or your employer simple doesn't offer healthcare coverage. I worked in the healthcare field and didn't have healthcare insurance and trying to find coverage on my own I could afford was impossible.  We share information regarding taking care of our lovely natural hair and our bodies, we share what products works best for us. I want to share the product of affordable healthcare. This is a new process and I know that there will be changes to come.  I will try to keep up with the changes and provided as much information as I can. We take care of locs, braids, twistouts, blowouts let's take care of our HEALTH as well !



 Staring on October 1, 2013 the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ....A.K.A OBAMACARE will be open to millions of Americans. We will have access to affordable healthcare for the first time. There is so much misinformation on the news and on the internet that you can get mislead very easily. We all need to be well informed of our options and not let politics play a role in you receiving adequate affordable healthcare.

 Here's some of the benefits of the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT  that I got from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare .

I hope this answers some questions you may have about the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.   This is just an overview I will be updating regularly to keep you informed.

Coverage

• Ends Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions for Children: Health plans can no longer limit or deny benefits to children under 19 due to a pre-existing condition.
• Keeps Young Adults Covered: If you are under 26, you may be eligible to be covered under your parent’s health plan.
• Ends Arbitrary Withdrawals of Insurance Coverage: Insurers can no longer cancel your coverage just because you made an honest mistake.
• Guarantees Your Right to Appeal: You now have the right to ask that your plan reconsider its denial of payment.

Costs

• Ends Lifetime Limits on Coverage: Lifetime limits on most benefits are banned for all new health insurance plans.
• Reviews Premium Increases: Insurance companies must now publicly justify any unreasonable rate hikes.
• Helps You Get the Most from Your Premium Dollars: Your premium dollars must be spent primarily on health care – not administrative costs.

Care

• Covers Preventive Care at No Cost to You: You may be eligible for recommended preventive health services. No copayment.
• Protects Your Choice of Doctors: Choose the primary care doctor you want from your plan’s network.
• Removes Insurance Company Barriers to Emergency Services: You can seek emergency care at a hospital outside of your health plan’s network.

The Affordable Care Act and African Americans
 
The Affordable Care Act –will help make health insurance coverage more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans.  For African Americans, like other racial and ethnic minorities, the law will address inequities and will increase access to quality, affordable health coverage, invest in prevention and wellness, and give individuals and families more control over their care.
African Americans suffer from obesity, heart disease, and diabetes at higher levels than the general population. For example, in 2010, 37 percent of African Americans were obese, compared to 26% of whites¹. Expanding opportunities for coverage can improve health outcomes for African Americans.
Already, the Affordable Care Act has benefitted the nearly 85% of Americans who already have insurance:

• 3.1 million young adults have gained coverage through the parents’ plans
• 6.6 million seniors are paying less for prescription drugs
• 105 million Americans are paying less for preventative care & no longer face lifetime coverage limits
• 13.1 million Americans have received rebates from insurance companies
• 17 million children with pre-existing conditions no longer denied coverage or charged extra

Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act will provide 6.8 million uninsured African Americans an opportunity to get affordable health insurance coverage. The following provides an overview of the coverage and benefits available to African Americans today and those made possible by the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Happening Now:

• An estimated 7.3 million African Americans with private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost sharing. These services include well-child visits, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, Pap tests and mammograms for women, and flu shots for children and adults.
• The 4.5 million elderly and disabled African Americans who receive health coverage from Medicare also have access to many preventive services with no cost-sharing, including annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, diabetes and colorectal cancer screening, bone mass measurement and mammograms.
• More than 500,000 young African American adults between ages 19 and 25 who would otherwise have been uninsured now have coverage under their parent’s employer-sponsored or individually purchased health plan.
• Major federal investments to improve quality of care are improving management of chronic diseases more prevalent among African Americans.
• The health care workforce will be more diverse due to a near tripling of the National Health Service Corps. African American physicians make up about 17 percent of Corps physicians, a percentage that greatly exceeds their 6 percent share of the national physician workforce.
• Investments in data collection and research will help us better understand the causes of health care disparities and develop effective programs to eliminate them.
• Targeted interventions, such as Community Transformation Grants, will promote healthy lifestyles, lower health care costs, and reduce health disparities.
• Increased funding available to more than 1,100 community health centers will increase the number of patients served. One of every five patients at a health center is African American.

Coming Soon:

• 6.8 million uninsured African Americans will have new opportunities for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.  Of the 6.8 million uninsured African Americans who are eligible for coverage through the Marketplace, 56 percent are men.
• The Marketplace is a destination where consumers can compare insurance options in simple, easy to understand language. At the Marketplace, consumers will be able to compare insurance options based on price, benefits, quality and other factors with a clear picture of premiums and cost-sharing amounts to help them choose the insurance that best fits their needs.  
• Consumers may be eligible for free or low cost coverage, or advance premium tax credits that lower monthly premiums right away.  Individuals with higher incomes (up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $94,200 for a family of four) will be eligible to purchase subsidized coverage from the Health Insurance Marketplace.
• States have new opportunities to expand Medicaid coverage to include Americans with family incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level (generally $31,322 for a family of four in 2013). This expansion includes adults without dependent children living at home, who have not previously been eligible in most states.

   Information cited from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare