6 Questions about Obamacare - --- answered

[SoCalDem]

http://www.good.is/posts/six-questions-about-obamacare-answered?utm_medium=tdg&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=readon&utm_content=6%20Questions%20About%20Obamacare%20Answered


Learn in Health, Living and Insurance
August 13, 2013 at 6:35 PM
Six Questions About Obamacare Answered


As a late 20-something, I could very possibly be a member of the "young invincibles," a label used to describe people between 18 and 34 who do not have health insurance because they think they're, well… invincible (not to mention broke). 

I lucked out in that five years ago, I somehow found myself working for the largest private statewide health foundation in California, dedicated to improving the health status of underserved populations in California. The ability for communities to have solid access to health care is one of our core values. As a reflection of this value, a variety of health insurance options are provided to our employees at a very affordable rate.

As most of us know, not everyone is so lucky. 

Recently, at a party during a “what do you do” conversation, a freelance screenwriter (struggling to make ends meet) asked me what he could do to get health insurance being single, unemployed, and having a few health issues to tackle. 

He, like many of us, will be required to have health insurance pretty soon. But beyond that, we don’t know much. 

So I spent some time today leafing through healthcare.gov and other sites with any 411 to get the quick down-and-dirty of what we all need to know going into January 1, 2014, when most of us will be required to have health insurance.




1. Who needs to have health insurance?


All U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to be in possession of health insurance by January 1, 2014. 

There is always an exception to the rule, but you probably aren’t that exception.

 In addition, your plan will need to meet the "Minimal Essential Coverage" requirement. That’s a lot of complicated scary words that just mean you can comply by either having:
Private plans, including employer-provided insurance (including retirement plans and COBRA
Medicaid (for low income individuals and families)

Medicare (for people 65 and up)
Employer-provided insurance (including retirement plans and COBRA)
Plans bought through the Health Insurance Marketplace (for a lot of folks who don’t have access to any of the above) .... you’ll also hear them called ‘exchanges’, and each state will have their own.
( Note... there's a difference between Marketplace health plans and private plans.)



Other plans like CHIP, TRICARE, and certain other plans for veterans and Peace Corps volunteers are also valid. Additionally, young adults up to the age of 26 can remain on their parents’ plans. 

For some populations, including the undocumented and foster children, things are a little different. 

Before the Affordable Care Act, foster children who turned 18 immediately lost healthcare when they aged out of Medicaid coverage. The Affordable Care Act will now cover them up until age 26, so long as they remain in their state of residence and were enrolled in Medicare until age 18. 

For the undocumented, mixed-status households (where at least one parent is undocumented, and one child is a citizen), health care will remain an uphill climb, with limited care through Emergency Medicaid. Community health centers can continue to provide non-emergency health care regardless of immigration status (more on this in a future post in our "Countdown to Coverage" series). 


Aside: Our foundation has put together this 60-second video, "Dreaming of Healthcare," to shed some light on this issue.


snip for video & rest of article/questions answered

[steve2470]

1. k&r nt

[Cha]

2. Mahalo SCD!

[c588415]

3. A spokesperson is needed for Obama-Care

Pres. Obama needs to appoint a spokesperson to address all issues pertaining to Obama-Care. The spokesperson should give weekly , or at least once a month updates on the benefits, all amendments, and complaints with the new law. Hell, I am tired of listening to the fabricated lies and rhetoric by the Right concerning ObamaCare. It's too bad that the Right are such selfish, uppity,and snooty individuals who can care less about those who are less fortunate.