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Making sense of premium tax credits

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

Put on your thinking cap!We all know that this health reform business is complicated.  Even for policy wonks and advocates like me who live and breathe this stuff, it can still be really confusing at times.

With the launch of the health insurance exchange set for October 1, the advocacy community is buzzing with questions on how to quickly and effectively improve the public’s understanding around what are currently considered to be very mysterious topics for most: “insurance exchanges,” “premium tax credits,” and let us not forget the big one, “Obamacare.”

The good folk’s at Consumer’s Union recently decided to tackle one of the big ones – premium tax credits.  They have released a report with findings from three rounds of consumer testing in three states (Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah) on how to help consumers understand this topic.

The report is great at pinpointing the information that regular folks respond to and explaining how to break down what is essentially complicated IRS information in a way that is understandable to most.  Best of all, they have created some really great templates for brochures, a worksheet, and a timeline graphic that folks can tweak and distribute themselves.  Very cool.

To read the Consumer’s Union report, titled “Helping Consumers Understand the New Premium Tax Credit,” and accompanying materials, click here.

Filed under: ACA, Federal health reform, Insurance Exchange, Insurance reform, New York Health Benefit Exchange | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

More resources from last week’s press briefing

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

Since most (all?) of our readers are not members of the press, I thought I would share some more resources from last week’s HCFANY press briefing.  Posted above is a video put together by the good folks at New American Media, who co-hosted the event.  Click below for copies of the presentations from the event.

Filed under: Health Disparities, Immigrants, Insurance Exchange, Uninsured | Tagged: , , | Comments Off

Speaking a language we can ALL understand

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Arianne Slagle
Talk to me!
Written by guest blogger Lorraine Gonzalez-Camastra, Director of Health Policy for Children’s Defense Fund-NY and HCFANY Steering Committee Member

In T minus five months, New York State will begin enrollment through its new Health Benefit Exchange.  The goal on October 1st, 2013 will be to enroll as many of the 2.6 million uninsured New Yorkers as possible, and eliminate the number of children and youth who are without coverage.

However, the truth is that most New Yorkers don’t understand what health reform entails and many may not have even heard of the Health Benefit Exchange.  This is more so for immigrant communities and those with English as a second language.  New York prides itself on its diversity, but with rates of uninsurance among racial and ethnic minorities nearly double that of white New Yorkers,  getting the word out on the Health Benefit Exchange will need to entail getting the word out in over 175 languages and dialects. [1]

However, have no fear!  Health Care for All New York’s (HCFANY) Children Youth and Families Task Force is on the case with the support of New America Media (NAM).

On Friday, April 26th, HCFANY and NAM co-hosted an informational press briefing geared towards ethnic media to build understanding around the different provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the New York State Health Benefit Exchange, and what’s at stake for New York’s children and youth.  Media outlets representing the Chinese, Indian, Turkish, Haitian, Filipino, Russian, and Latino communities attended the event and engaged in a dialogue about what their communities need from the Health Benefit Exchange and fellow advocates in order to guarantee that their populations are ready to enroll come October 1st.  Presentations conducted by staff from the New York State Health Benefit Exchange, Community Service Society, Children’s Defense Fund NY, Make the Road NY, and the Coalition for Asian-American Children and Families detailed New York’s progress and plans for ACA implementation, as well as what advocates and stakeholders on the front lines know to be important elements of implementation for children and families in ethnic communities.

To view photos from this event, please click here.

We are planning a similar press briefing for ethnic media outlets upstate in the coming months.  Think of anyone we should be reaching out to? Please send press contacts to Arianne Slagle at aslagle@cssny.org

[1] United States Census 2010.

Filed under: ACA, Immigrants, Insurance Exchange, Uninsured | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off

HCFANY Hits the Boards Across the State, to Good Reviews

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

"Move over, Kinky Boots!"

Today’s post comes from guest blogger Mark Hannay, Director of the Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign and HCFANY Steering Committee Member

TONY Award season is here, but “Move Over, Kinky Boots!”  HCFANY’s also got a hit show, and we’re taking it on the road.

Our run began in late March in Manhattan when 130 people gathered at the InterChurch Center to hear about plans nationally, statewide, and in New York City to bring quality, affordable health coverage to over 1 million New Yorkers (see here.).  Next, on April 18 over 50 participants in the Westchester-Putnam Access to Health Care Coalition packed the conference room at GuildNet in White Plains for the coalition’s 4th Annual Legislative Breakfast (pictured above.)  Those attending represented local social services agencies, health care practitioners and providers, business associations, and various industry professionals.

The meeting started off with a presentation from Sherry Tomasky, Director of Stakeholder Engagement for the New York State Health Benefit Exchange, who spoke about what’s expected in the coming weeks and months. Next, HCFANY Steering Committee member Mark Hannay, Director of the Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign, briefed the group on various health care provisions of the State’s recently-enacted FY 2014 budget, and HCFANY’s priorities for the rest of this year’s state legislative session.

Several public officials from the bi-county region attended and addressed the audience.  They included newly-elevated Democratic Conference Leader Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins (Yonkers), newly-elected Assemblymember David Buchwald (White Plains), Putnam County Health Commissioner Dr. Allen Beals, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and the Putnam County Office for the Aging.

The reviews are in, and what’s clear from both these well-attended events is that New Yorkers are really hungry to learn more about the Affordable Care Act coming to New York.  At best, (channeling Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein) they may know “something’s coming”, but they don’t know too much else about what, when, and how.  Accordingly, HCFANY is planning roadshows in Western New York and the Capital District later this spring.  Given the audience responses so far, we’re also considering additional appearances in other areas, such as Central New York and Long Island, if there’s interest and we can confirm local entities willing to partner with us – let us know if you like to take a turn in a bit of the limelight.  Curtain up!

 

Filed under: ACA, Insurance Exchange, New York Health Reform | Tagged: , | Comments Off

Gearing up to make some serious noise

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

Bring on the NOISE!

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

A slow trickle of information is now starting to leak from the State on its plans to reach out to the public and educate them on the forthcoming Health Benefit Exchange and the new insurance options that will be available.  Today’s Crain’s Health Pulse quoted Danielle Holahan, Deputy Director for the Exchange, saying that the Exchange will begin to reach out to Chambers of Commerce and other groups this month to start building awareness around open enrollment (which starts this October).

Healthcare.gov has also just launched a new service to send text or email alerts to folks to tell them about the new insurance options and benefits.  I’m not entirely sure what that will entail so I went ahead and signed up for both email and text alerts.  Nothing yet, other than a confirmation of subscription, but if something interesting comes out of it I will be sure to post!  To sign up for healthcare.gov updates yourself, click here.  

 

Filed under: ACA, Insurance Exchange | Tagged: , | Comments Off

Getting the word out in the Bronx

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

Bronx Health Summit

From left: Carrie Tracy, Community Service Society, Jaime Torres, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Lois Uttley, or Raising Women’s Voices.

There are 269,000 uninsured people in the Bronx, and most have no idea there are affordable health insurance options coming in October through the NYS Health Benefit Exchange. To help get the word out, HCFANY steering committee members gave two informational workshop sessions this past Saturday at the Bronx Health Summit, held on the Fordham University campus.

One session, conducted in English, was given by HCFANY steering committee members Lois Uttley,  Carrie Tracy of the Community Service Society, and Erin Hoben of the Children’s Defense Fund-NY. They were joined by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  Regional Director Jaime Torres.  A second session, conducted in Spanish, was given by Rebecca Telzak of Make the Road NY and Flor Ramirez of the Children’s Aid Society.

Wish you could have attended these presentations? Click here to see the PowerPoint in English.  Click here to view the PowerPoint in Spanish.

Would you like HCFANY representatives to give a talk at your organization or in your community about the new health insurance options coming this fall? Presentation requests can be emailed to info@raisingwomensvoices.net.

 

Filed under: ACA, Insurance Exchange, New York Health Benefit Exchange, Uninsured | Tagged: , , | Comments Off

In case you missed last week’s event…

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

March 28, 2013 HCFANY NYC Briefing

Panel (from left): Joanne Bailey, NYC Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA), Sara Rothstein, NYS Health Benefit Exchange, Martine Apodaca, Enroll America, Lois Uttley, Raising Women’s Voices, Dr. Jaime Torres, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Thanks to everyone who came to last week’s HCFANY briefing in NYC –  was a great success and we ended up with a turnout of over 130 people.

Many attendees have been asking for copies of the presentations and materials we had available at the meeting, so we are posting them up here for anyone who is interested.  Here is a quick recap:

  • Sara Rothstein, Assistant Director for Policy and Planning for the New York Health Benefit Exchange presented an update on implementation of the NYS Health Benefit Exchange including a very broad overview of the State’s outreach and marketing plan, information on the Navigator RFA.   You can view Sara’s presentation by clicking here.

  •  Martine Apodaca, Director of the Public Education Campaign for Enroll America presented a profile of the uninsured in New York and their findings on messaging around the new health insurance options based on a national survey.  You can view Martine’s presentation by clicking here.

  • Joanne Bailey, Director of Policy and Research at the New York City Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA) presented on the timeline for health reform implementation in the New York, including a profile of the uninsured in New York City, and the potential challenges and opportunities brought by the ACA.  You can view Joanne’s presentation by clicking here.

In addition, we had several publications and handouts available:

 

Filed under: Consumer Assistance, Insurance Exchange, New York Health Benefit Exchange, Small Business, Uninsured | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off

Open Enrollment Style!

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

[***WARNING*** THIS SONG WILL GET STUCK IN YOUR HEAD]

How clever is this? The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum has made an educational video on the ACA and open enrollment via the Exchange that plays off of the extremely popular and infectious K-pop single “Gangnam Style” by PSY.

It’s almost as goofy as the original (it even has a dancing baby!), which is great, because it gets people’s attention.  This is what we want!  Anything that makes ”open enrollment” and “October 1st” stick into people’s heads is a good thing.  It also introduces the concept of the Exchange as an online marketplace for affordable insurance.

Check it out when you get a moment! I am hoping to see and blog about many more of these types of creative PSA’s around the ACA and the push for Open Enrollment in the coming months.  Hopefully this video inspires more advocates to get creative!

 

 

Filed under: ACA, Federal health reform, Insurance Exchange, New York Health Benefit Exchange | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off

Happy Birthday, Baby!!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow marks the 3-year anniversary of the ACA and  – wow – what a journey it has been! 

 Despite its youth, the ACA has already succeeded in helping millions of Americans get access to affordable care.  For example, children with pre-existing health problems can no longer be turned down for coverage. Small businesses have access to tax credits to help pay for health insurance for their employees: 4 in 5 New York small businesses are eligible.  Preventive care is now available without co-pays, seniors who hit the Medicare “donut hole” are paying less for prescription drugs, and health insurers now have strict guidelines on how much of your monthly premium must be used on medical care rather than their own administrative costs.

 A few numbers give a picture of just how much the ACA has helped people in our state:

  • New Yorkers with Medicare have saved over $407.6 million on prescription drugs since the law’s enactment.  In 2012 alone, 226,569 individuals in New York saved over $170.4 million, or an average of $752 per beneficiary.
  • 4.4 million New Yorkers gained access to free preventive health services in 2011 and 2012.  1.5 million seniors with Medicare received free preventive health care in 2012 alone.
  • This year, 1 million New Yorkers with private insurance coverage will get $86,526,642 in rebates from insurance companies who have overcharged them, with an average rebate of $138 per family.

 And the best is yet to come:  In 2014, annual limits on insurance coverage will be banned, adults with  pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied coverage,  and tax credits will be available to help individuals and families pay for health insurance.  And, individuals and small businesses will be able to get health insurance, including public programs like Medicaid, through the New York Health Benefit Exchange.  This will save New Yorkers who buy insurance on their own an average of over 60% and people who get it through their small business over 20%. Enrollment will begin October of this year!

 Because of the ACA, affordable, quality health care will soon be woven into the fabric of American society, making us stronger and healthier as a nation.  And that’s something we can ALL look forward to!

 So, Happy Third Birthday, ACA!  May you live a long, happy (and healthy) life!

 

Filed under: ACA, Comprehensive Coverage, Federal health reform, Insurance Exchange, New York Health Benefit Exchange, Small Business, Uninsured | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off

TAKE ACTION! Special HCFANY Coalition Call TODAY

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Arianne Slagle

HCFANY phone home!

For anyone not on HCFANY’s email list – we will be holding an emergency coalition call TODAY at 3 PM to discuss ACA implementation in the NYS budget.   Several key issues for health insurance consumers are on the table. How they are resolved will determine the success of the ACA in New York, and whether people will be better or worse off in the future.

RSVP Here!

Call-in number: 712-432-0080
Access code: 178-816#

 Agenda

  1. Welcome & Review of current HCFANY Priorities & Politics – Jess Wisneski, Citizen Action of New York 
  2. Breakdown of our budget priorities: 
    •  Family Health Plus – Elisabeth R. Benjamin, Community Service Society of NY
    • Health Insurance changes – Heidi Siegfried, New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage
    • Good News: Charity Care & Community Health Advocates Funding Stream – Carrie Tracey, Community Service Society of NY
  3. Action Item 1: Organizational Sign On letter.  Read the letter and sign your group on HERE.
  4. Action Item 2: Press Event Wednesday 11:00AM – LCA Press room, Legislative Office Building, Albany – followed by last minute advocacy at the Capitol. Who can join us?
  5. Action Item 3: Make calls to important leaders:

 6.  Post-Budget Preview & Close:  Public Education/Outreach work – Jess Wisneski, Citizen Action of NY

Filed under: ACA, Federal health reform, New York State Budget | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off

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