New FAQs and Explainers Help Consumers Understand How Obamacare May Affect Them

With open enrollment for the new health insurance marketplaces underway, many Americans will be looking for information about what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will mean for them.

Today the Kaiser Family Foundation released an expanded list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help consumers better understand the ACA, also known as Obamacare. Through more than 150 questions and answers, the collection provides guidance to consumers about the law and how it applies to people in different circumstances. The questions address such topics as "Who is eligible for Marketplace premium tax credits?" and "What is a grandfathered plan? How do I know if I have one?"

In addition, the Foundation also has issued a series of "Obamacare & You" one-page explainers that address how the law applies to people in different circumstances: the uninsured, people with job-based coverage, people who are low-income and potentially eligible for Medicaid, people with pre-existing conditions, people who buy coverage on their own through the individual market, and Medicare beneficiaries.

Other consumer resources include a health insurance subsidy calculator, flowcharts explaining ACA requirements, and animated videos summarizing the law in English and Spanish. All can be accessed at kff.org/aca-consumer-resources.

Weekly Calls Hosted by The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is currently hosting weekly calls focused various topics related to the Affordable Care Act for its grantees and stakeholders. These calls are open to all, so feel free to pass along the call-in information to anyone who may be interested. Thanks to those of you who joined us this week for our discussion on SHOPs, tax credits/subsidies, and the unbanked population. We had some great questions and feedback and your participation is much appreciated!

Below is the information for the next call, responses to some questions that came up during the last call, and links to our previous webinars.

Thank you for your hard work and we look forward to the next call!

ORHP ACA Office Hours

July 24, 2013
3-4 pm Eastern
Call-in Number: (800) 857-3749
Passcode: ORHPACA
Adobe Connect Session: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/orh1/

Agenda

1) Exemptions to the Insurance Mandate (which groups do not need health insurance)
2) Income Requirements for Subsidies and Tax Credits
3) Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees (“Dual-Eligibles”)

4) ACA Updates

Outstanding Questions

The following questions came up during the last office hours session (7/17/2013) and we wanted to provide some further information:


Q: Is the funding received from HHS by a community health center to be used for only enrollment activities?

A: As you know, HHS awarded $150 Million awarded to community health centers nationwide earlier in July. This funding is to be used for outreach & education as well as enrollment. Here is the link to the press release for more information: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/05/20130509a.html

Q: Where can we find income guidelines for the exchanges for families?

In general, to be eligible for subsidized coverage on the health insurance exchange, an individual must have an income between 100 to 400 percent above the federal poverty level ($11,490 to $45,960 for an individual in 2013 and $30, 656 to $92,200 for a family of four). There is a sliding scale applied to income which determines what percentage of your income you will pay towards health insurance coverage. For example, if your family income is at 200% FPL, you will only pay 6.3% of your income towards health insurance for your family and the remaining will be covered by a tax credit. This is a good and complex question, and we want to make sure we answer it fully. We are going to set aside some time on the next call to discuss further.


Q: How will the subsidies work in practice? (If I’m a consumer, how does the money from the subsidy flow?)

A: Great question and we are looking into this a bit more. Stay tuned!


Previous Office Hours Recordings

• 7/10 Topic: Consumer Assistance https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p94lfk0wtzg/

• 7/3 Topic: Medicaid Expansion https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p3yhxuz449f/

• 6/26 Topic: ACA 101 https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p5r0fh8fbcg/

• Audio from the office hours on 7/17 will be circulated next week



Affordable Care Act

Affordable Care Act

• CMS: Press Release. CMS Proposes 2014 Payment and Policy Updates for Medicare Health and Drug Plans: Greater Value for Medicare Beneficiaries and Improved Payment Accuracy. Learn More
• HHS: Updated content available regarding the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), explains why federally-run PCIP is suspending acceptance of new enrollment applications until further notice. Learn More
• AHRQ: A new toolkit available to support the activities of private and public organizations in advancing ACA's mission. National Quality Strategy Stakeholder Toolkit. Learn More

Opportunities for Public Comment

The Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue: Proposed regulations on the Employer Shared Responsibility provisions under the Affordable Care Act now open for public comment. Shared Responsibility for Employers Regarding Health Coverage. Written or electronic comments must be received by March 18, 2013. Directions on how to comment 

A March 2012 Presidential Memorandum established an interagency working group on the intersection of three critical health topics: HIV/AIDS, violence against women and girls, and gender-related health disparities. Through January 20, 2013, the working group is accepting public submissions of individual stories, experiences and comments that link these cross-cutting issues and illustrate the challenges in defining solutions. Learn More