Alpha Phi Alpha hosted a health care seminar, here is the presentation that was used during the conversation. Find More information below: Health Care & the Affordable Care Act: Why It Matters to You, Your Family and Your Community? Are you covered? Now that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) major provisions to expand health insurance coverage are in effect, time is ticking for you to sign up for coverage---Monday, March 31, is the last day to sign up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces. People of color make up more than half of the uninsured people in the U.S.— and research shows that people of color, across the age span, face significant disparities in physical and mental health. The ACA has the ability to create a path to better health by offering more affordable health insurance options, improving services and eliminating the usual obstacles. This webinar will provide you with an opportunity to learn about the benefits of ACA and how to enroll for health insurance before March 31st! Speakers include: · Dr. Jean Accius, Chair, Alpha Phi Alpha Public Policy Committee · Dr. Rahn Kennedy Bailey M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Meharry Medical College and Immediate Past President of the National Medical Association · Marlon Marshall, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Principal Deputy Director of Public Engagement · Tamia Booker, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

1. The
Health Care Law
and

2. • Insurance companies could take advantage of you and
discriminate against the 129 million Americans with
pre-existing conditions.
• Premiums had more than doubled over the last decade,
while insurance company profits were soaring.
• More than 41 million eligible Americans were
uninsured, tens of millions more were underinsured,
and those that had coverage were often afraid of losing
it.
The Problem

3. In March 2010, President Obama signed into law the
Affordable Care Act.
The Health Care Law

4. • Protection from the worst insurance company
abuses
• Makes health care more affordable
• Better access to care
• Stronger Medicare
What the Law Means for You:
4 Things to Know

5. • African Americans suffer from higher rates of a
range of illnesses as compared to the general
population
• African Americans have the highest mortality
rate of any racial and ethnic group for all
cancers combined and for most major cancers
individually, including stomach, liver, prostate,
and colon cancers
Reasons Why You Need to Get Covered

6. • African Americans adults are twice as likely to be diagnosed with
Diabetes
• Six in ten uninsured African Americans (4.2 million) may be eligible
for premium tax credits in the Marketplace (2.2 million) or
Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (2.0
million).
• More than 500,000 young African American adults ages 19 to 26,
230,000 of whom are women
Reasons Why You Need to Get Covered

7. It is now illegal for insurance companies to:
• Deny coverage to children because of a pre-existing
condition like asthma and diabetes.
• Put a lifetime cap on how much care they will pay for if
you get sick.
• Cancel your coverage when you get sick by finding a
mistake on your paperwork.
• And more…
The Law Stops Insurance Companies
from Taking Advantage of You

8. These abuses used to be legal:
“Low Health Insurance Caps
Leave Patients Stranded”
-- USA Today
“Newborn Denied Health Insurance Coverage
Days After Life Saving Heart Surgery”
-- ABC News
“WellPoint Routinely Targets Breast Cancer Victims for
Rescission”
-- The Huffington Post
Now they are banned for good.

9. BEFORE, insurance companies spent as
much as 40 cents of every premium dollar
on overhead, marketing, and CEO salaries.
TODAY, we have the new 80/20 rule:
insurance companies must spend at least
80 cents of your premium dollar on your
health care or improvements to care.
If they don’t, they must repay the money.
The Law Makes Health Care More Affordable
60% / 40%
80% / 20%

10. BEFORE, insurance companies could raise
your premiums by double digits without
justification.
TODAY, insurance companies must publicly
justify their actions if they want to raise
premiums by 10 percent or more. And
states have more power to block them.
The Law Makes Health Care More Affordable

11. The Law Makes Health Care More Affordable
“Anthem Withdraws Rate Increases”
-- San Francisco Chronicle
“Blue Shield Cancels Insurance Rate
Increase”
-- Los Angeles Times
“Connecticut Rejects Insurance Rate Increase”
-- The New York Times

12. BEFORE, small businesses paid an average of 18 percent more
for health insurance than large companies.
TODAY, small businesses can get tax credits to help pay for
coverage for their employees.
“In 2010, we paid close to $11,000 for employees’ health insurance. The tax
credit cut our costs by over $2,000. For a small business struggling to keep
health coverage, that makes all the difference. We were actually considering
dropping our insurance, but the tax credit tipped the
balance and helped us maintain coverage.”
--Matt H. in Montana
The Law Makes Health Care More Affordable

13. Young adults under the age of 26 can now stay on their parents’
health plans.
“I honestly don’t know what we would have done…. There was no way we
could have afforded it. I might not be here right now.”
--Kylie L., 23, in Illinois, who credits the health care law
for enabling a life-saving heart transplant
The Law Increases Your Access to Affordable Care

14.  Cancer screenings such as mammograms & colonoscopies
 Vaccinations such as flu, mumps & measles
 Blood pressure screening
 Cholesterol screening
 Tobacco cessation counseling and interventions
 Birth control
 Depression screening
 And more…
Visit www.healthcare.gov/prevention for a full list.
The Law Increases Your Access to Affordable Care
In many cases, you can get preventive services for free:

15. The Law Increases Your Access to Affordable Care
There are thousands of new doctors
and nurses in communities around the country
and millions more patients getting care.

16. So no matter your circumstances…
If you start a new business, change jobs, move to
another state, or retire early…
You’ll have access to affordable health insurance.

17. • 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. The health care workforce
will be more diverse due to a near tripling of the
National Health Service Corps.
• 7.3 million African Americans with private insurance
now have access to expanded preventive services with
no cost sharing. This includes services such as
colonoscopy screening for colon cancer, Pap smears
and mammograms for women, well-child visits, and flu
shots for all children and adults.
Benefits of the ACA

18. • Apply online
– Visit healthcare.gov to get started.
• Apply by phone
– Call 1-800-318-2596 to apply for a health insurance plan and enroll over
the phone. (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)
• Apply in person
– Visit a trained counselor in your community to get information and apply in
person. Find help in your area at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov
• Apply by mail
– Complete a paper application and mail it in. You can download the paper
application form and instructions from HealthCare.gov.
4 Ways to Apply for Coverage on the
Health Insurance Marketplace

19. Health Insurance Marketplace 1016/20/13
– Navigators
– Other trained enrollment assisters
• Local community health centers,
libraries, hospitals and other
locations in local communities
• Localhelp.healthcare.gov
– Agents and brokers
4 Ways to Apply for Coverage on the
Health Insurance Marketplace
19
 In person help will be available to help
prepare electronic and paper applications to
establish eligibility and to enroll in coverage
through the Marketplace

20. • Protection from the worst insurance company
abuses
• Makes health care more affordable
• Better access to care
• Stronger Medicare
4 Things to Remember About the Law

22. • Affordable Care Act website –
www.healthcare.gov
• Materials –
marketplace.cms.gov
• In Person assistance -
localhelp.healthcare.gov
Healthcare Resources

23. Thank you!
Marlon Marshall
Special Assistant to the President and Principle Deputy Director
of the White House Office of Public Engagement
Tamia Booker
Director of Special Population Outreach
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Tamia.Booker@hhs.gov
Questions?