Tag Archives: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What happened to Kelli


National Women's Law Center
We all have a health care story to tell. Just stand next to the office water cooler and you’ll hear the stories flow.
My co-worker Kelli shared this one with me:
“My older sister was diagnosed with lupus as a child. She spent much of her life in and out of hospitals and taking handfuls of expensive medications. Once diagnosed, no insurance plan would take her on. My family was stuck with our ‘major medical’ insurance, which only covered a percentage of hospitalizations but nothing else — none of her numerous prescription drugs or doctors’ visits were covered. This affected our whole family. It made it impossible for my parents to save money for our educations, their retirement, or anything else. We were always one illness away from financial disaster. If we’d had the health care law then, my family could’ve gotten better health insurance — because, under the new law, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children who have pre-existing conditions.”
Kelli told us her story. Will you share yours?
Maybe you have private insurance that fails to cover the services you need such as mental health care, maternity care, or prescription drug coverage. Maybe high co-payments and deductibles keep you from getting the health care you need. Maybe you’re uninsured simply because you can’t afford it or you’ve been turned down for health coverage after you got sick. Whatever your story may be, it matters.
Thanks to the health care law, change is on the way. Under the law, you won’t be denied health coverage because of a pre-existing condition. You won’t lose your health insurance when you get sick. You’ll soon have affordable insurance options through a new health care marketplace.
But right now, many women and their families are still struggling to pay for health coverage and get the care they need. Sadly, there are still families like Kelli’s. Please share your story today.
I love hearing from you. Thank you for fighting with us to advance the rights of women and their families.
Sincerely,
Judy Waxman Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tara McGuinness, The White House – #ACA is good


If you want tangible evidence of the way that the new health care law is already helping ordinary people, it’s worth having a conversation with one of the 8.5 million Americans who received rebates from their insurance companies this summer. Just ask the folks who got checks in the mail.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, insurers are required to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on medical care, instead of overhead like salaries or advertising. And if an insurance company doesn’t meet that standard, it has to provide a rebate to its customers.

It’s a really big deal, and we want to make sure everyone understands how it works.

Here’s a graphic that breaks things down. Will you share it to help answer questions in your community?

Check out this graphic about health care rebates.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/health-care-rebate

Thanks! Tara

Tara McGuinness Senior Communications Advisor The White House

@HealthCareTara

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Three quick things you should know about Obamacare


Three quick things you should know about Obamacare

Hi all —

In the past few days, we’ve received three really interesting new pieces of information about the health care law, and we wanted to share these data points with you so that you get a big picture of how things are changing for the better as the law gets implemented.

First, the Affordable Care Act is helping to make sure that insurance companies and providers have to compete for your business by creating a Health Insurance Marketplace that offers people more choice and control over their insurance choices. An estimated 80 percent of the people who will enroll in the Marketplaces live in states with five or more different insurance companies to choose from — instead of just one or two. We’ve put together a memo about that, and you can read it HERE.

Second, as the health care law is helping move to a system where data helps improve consumer choices and the quality of care, the government is making more information available to consumers, from hospital charges and quality outcomes to regional health care system performance statistics. Those may sound like dry things, but businesses are springing up across the country and using this data to power new innovation. Secretary Sebelius explains this idea in more detail HERE.

Third, we got some great news about the long-term viability of Medicare. Program cost growth, both long term and short, is down — even as new benefits for preventive care and prescription drugs are now helping tens of millions of beneficiaries. Get more information about the report that shows that Medicare is growing stronger HERE.

We’re sharing this information with you because we’re sure you hear people talk about the health care law in your communities all the time, and if you have questions we’d love to answer them.

Ask your questions about the health care law, and we’ll answer some of them next week.

Thanks,

Tara

Tara McGuinness Senior Communications Advisor The White House

P.S. — Earlier today, the President delivered remarks on the health care law in San Jose. Lean more HERE.

Stay Connected

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

H.R. 45, a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act


cbologo

H.R. 45, a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

 
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center


National Women's Law Center
Getting the coverage you deserve!
                What to do if you are charged a co-pay, deductible, or co-insurance for preventive services.
Download Toolkit

We’ve been working hard to make sure you and your families know about the preventive coverage provided through Obamacare. We’ve heard from many women about how much this coverage has helped them!
But we’ve also heard about some women encountering problems while trying to get these services without cost-sharing. Have you gone to the pharmacy to get your birth control thinking you wouldn’t have a co-pay — only to find out that you did? Or have you gone to the doctor thinking your annual visit would be covered without a co-pay — but it wasn’t? When your insurance company isn’t working for you, we’re here to help.
Check out our newest resource: “Getting the Coverage You Deserve: What to Do If You Are Charged a Co-Pay, Deductible, or Co-Insurance for a Preventive Service.”
Thanks to Obamacare, health care plans under the reach of the law must cover women’s preventive health services like mammograms, birth control, and breast feeding supplies without imposing deductibles, co-insurance or co-payments. But some insurance companies are still, incorrectly, making us pay for these services. So we’ve created an easy-to-use resource for you to make an appeal to your insurance company when you’re incorrectly told to pay for your preventive care.
Check out our resource today and make sure you’re getting the health care you deserve!
Want to learn more? Visit www.nwlc.org/preventiveservices.
Sincerely,
Judy Waxman Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law Center    

P.S. If you have a question about using the toolkit, or you have trouble getting a preventive service covered and you’re unsure why, let us know! We might be able to help. Please contact us at 1-866-PILL4US or via email at pill4us@nwlc.org.