Help Us Educate Fellow Arizonans about ObamaCare.

‘I Get ObamaCare!’

Help Us Educate Fellow Arizonans about ObamaCare.

‘I Get ObamaCare!’ is a group made up of many organizations and concerned citizens who have come together to conduct formal, non-partisan public education about the true elements of ACA for average citizens via community presentations delivered by our Speakers’ Bureau.   We will also have a formal college level curriculum to run at several of our colleges in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.  We want to dispel the misinformation that many citizens have been and will continue to be bombarded with over the next several months.

NOTE: This card is asking volunteers to join our Speaker’s Bureau to do community presentations, whether 2 per month or 5, 10, or more per month.  If you or a colleague/associate would like to become an ACA presenter/teacher, please email us at aca@cox.net with the subject: ACA.

Here are some facts that may help:

The Affordable Care Act

Know What the Act Does for You and Your Family

The following facts and provisions of the Affordable Care Act, aka ‘Obamacare’, were taken directly from the Federal Government website www.healthcare.gov verbatim.  The information below is in no way comprehensive of the provisions of the Act.  There are many more protections and provisions in the Act.  This is provided so that we may learn and know the true, specific facts about the Law and what benefits they already have and will provide in the future to all Americans.

Preventive Services Covered Under the Affordable Care Act

If you have a new health insurance plan or insurance policy beginning/renewing on or after September 23, 2010, the following preventive services must be covered without your having to pay a copayment or co-insurance or meet your deductible. This applies only when these services are delivered by a network provider. For example, depending on your age, you may have access — at no cost — to preventive services such as:

• Blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol tests
• Many cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies
• Counseling on such topics as quitting smoking, losing weight, eating healthfully, treating depression, and reducing alcohol use
• Routine vaccinations against diseases such as measles, polio, or meningitis
• Flu and pneumonia shots
• Counseling, screening, and vaccines to ensure healthy pregnancies
• Regular well-baby and well-child visits, from birth to age 21

Covered Preventive Services for Adults

• This includes preventive services for alcohol misuse screening, cholesterol screening, colorectal cancer screening, immunizations based on recommended age and populations, obesity screening and counseling, tobacco use screening and cessation interventions, and many other medical listed in the Act.

Covered Preventive Services for Women, Including Pregnant Women

• This includes services for mammography screenings, breastfeeding comprehensive support and counseling, cervical cancer screening, contraception FDA-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling not including abortifacient drugs*, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing*,domestic and interpersonal violence screenings, gestational diabetes screening*, STI counseling, well-woman visits for those under 65*, and other conditions.

Note: Services marked with an asterisk (*) must be covered with no cost-sharing in plan years starting on or after August 1, 2012.

Covered Preventive Services for Children

• This includes services for alcohol and drug use assessments, autism screening 18 and 24 months, congenital hypothyroidism screening, depression screening for adolescents, dyslipidemia screening per age groups, hearing screening, immunizations birth to age 18, obesity screening and counseling, oral health assessments, vision screening for all children, and many other medical conditions.

[This is only a partial list of the preventive care that is included in the Act.  Please refer to healthcare.gov for the rest of the details regarding the Affordable Care Act.]

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Authorized by “I Get ObamaCare Coalition”

Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Children’s Pre-Existing Conditions

Under the Affordable Care Act, health plans cannot limit or deny benefits or deny coverage for a child younger than age 19 simply because the child has a “pre-existing condition” — that is, a health problem that developed before the child applied to join the plan.

What This Means for You

Until now, plans could refuse to accept anyone because of a pre-existing health condition, or they could limit benefits for that condition.

Now, under the health care law, plans that cover children can no longer exclude, limit, or deny coverage to your child under age 19 solely based on a health problem or disability that your child developed before you applied for coverage. This rule applies to all job-related health plans as well as individual health insurance policies issued after March 23, 2010. The rule will affect your plan as soon as it begins a plan year or policy year on or after September 23, 2010.

Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP)

If you have been rejected for insurance due to a health condition or disability, you may be eligible for coverage through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.

Young Adult Coverage

Under the Affordable Care Act, if your plan covers children, you can now add or keep your children on your health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old. Before the health care law, insurance companies could remove enrolled children usually at age 19, sometimes older for full-time students. Now, most health plans that cover children must make coverage available to children up to age 26. By allowing children to stay on a parent’s plan, the law makes it easier and more affordable for young adults to get health insurance coverage.

Small Employer Tax Credits

The Affordable Care Act helps small businesses and small tax-exempt organizations afford the cost of covering their employees.

What This Means for You

If you have fewer than 25 employees and provide health insurance, you may qualify for a tax credit of up to 35% (up to 25% for non-profits) to offset the cost of your insurance. This credit will increase in 2014 to 50% (35% for non-profits). This will make the cost of providing insurance much lower.

Value for Your Premium Dollar

Many Americans worry about getting their money’s worth when it comes to health care. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to spend your premium dollars primarily on health care.

What This Means for You

The percentage of your premium dollars that an insurance company spends on providing you with health care and improving the quality of your care (as opposed to what it spends on administrative, overhead, and marketing costs) is known as “medical loss ratio.” The new law limits how much of your premium dollar your insurer can spend on things other than providing health care and improving its quality. If your insurance company exceeds that limit, it must provide a rebate of the portion of premium dollars that exceeded this limit.

The law requires insurers selling policies to individuals or small groups to spend at least 80% of premiums on direct medical care and efforts to improve the quality of care.  Insurers selling to large groups (usually 50 or more employees) must spend 85% of premiums on care and quality improvement.