Here’s a roundup of news on the Affordable Care Act in Florida from Health News Florida:
There were so many important health stories this week — mostly about policy and politics — that we want to make sure you didn’t miss any. The newest development … is a vote by the Republican-controlled House to fund the government but eliminate funding for the Affordable Care Act. Here’s a roundup of the best stories from the week:
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Politics: Health Story of the Week
- Fraud Fears: Real or Not? A federal inspector offers a tip sheet on what kinds of fraud to watch out for in Marketplace enrollment. The kind that Gov. Rick Scott talks about isn’t one of them.
- Sebelius vs. Scott: Public ‘at Risk’ Florida officials are callous and secretive, willing to keep information from citizens that could save their lives, according to the Obama administration’s top health official. Meanwhile, those same officials accuse the administration of placing the public’s safety at risk.
- Sebelius: FL Actions ‘Unbelievable’ Saying “Florida has done some pretty unbelievable things,” top federal health official Kathleen Sebelius told Jacksonville leaders on Monday she hopes they will get the word out that help for the uninsured is on the way. According to the Florida Times-Union, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said she’s focused on Florida because the state’s government has done so much to try to block the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, even though Florida has 3.8 million uninsured.
- FL Lawmakers Clash in Capitol Hill Testimony State Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, and state Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, testified in Washington, D.C. before Congressional committees. Both Florida lawmakers say they’re worried about the online health plan shopping site called the Marketplace that’s scheduled to open Oct. 1 — for very different reasons.
- Governor Touts Jobs From Obamacare HealthPlan Services is bringing 1,000 new jobs to Florida, in part because the company says it will pick up a lot of new customers from the Affordable Care Act, the Tampa Tribune reports.
- 1M Got Left Out of Coverage in FL An unintended coverage gap in the Affordable Care Act will leave nearly 1 million low-income Floridians unable to obtain health insurance when the federal Marketplace opens Oct. 1, according to consumer group Families USA.
Politics: Health Story of the Week
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Floridians Face Health Reform
This week, we met Floridians who are coming to terms with major changes coming Jan. 1 from the Affordable Care Act: Insurers can no longer turn away people with health risks, and uninsured people above the poverty line will be required to find coverage.
A package of stories by Mary Shedden of the Tampa Tribune introduces readers to some of the people who are confused about what will happen, including retired nurse Anita Balch, small-business owner Angie Short and Taylor Dame, a young manager of a franchise restaurant. See 25% Can Tap Marketplace.
Shedden also writes about some of the people who have chronic illnesses and have not been able to find affordable health coverage, including small-businessman Bob Linde, owner of Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies in St. Petersburg. See Chronically Ill Count Days Until Jan. 1
And finally, the Tribune series looks at how the hullabaloo about the “Marketplace” — the online shopping site for the uninsured — has confused many Medicare beneficiaries and mistakenly think they are supposed to use it, too. See Marketplace Isn’t for Everyone.
Meanwhile, Stacey Singer of the Palm Beach Post writes about one of the little-known parts of the Affordable Care Act that could make life easier for Medicaid patients who have disabling, incurable diseases but yet have to fill out the same deluge of forms each year in order to keep their coverage. See Law May Rescue Patients from Paperwork.
Source: Floridians Face Health Reform
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Small Firms Face Big Confusion
New federal health insurance rules are inching closer to a January 1st deadline. The requirement that most Americans obtain coverage is feeling very real for the uninsured or those who buy their own policy.
The Tampa Tribune’s Mary Shedden talked to some Tampa Bay residents deciding whether the Affordable Care Act will help their health, or hurt their bottom line.
Bob Linde’s watched the Obamacare debate carefully the past five years.
The St. Petersburg business owner’s concerns are personal. Linde and employees at his alternative medicine center can’t afford health insurance. And at age 50, he wants a safety net.
Dame has worked his way up the ranks of the Little Greek restaurant chain, and he knows the small franchise can’t offer him a health plan right now. But Dame is still responsible for getting insurance come January 1st.
He says he wants to buy insurance. But it may be easier on his wallet to pay the penalty. For Dame that amounts to about $250, a fraction of what insurance may cost.
“If we have to spend our savings every month on health insurance, it doesn’t feel like a benefit of having health insurance,” he says. “It feels more like it’s a burden on us that would put us even farther behind on our bills.”
Little Greek falls into the new law’s small business category. Companies with fewer than 50 fulltime workers don’t have to offer insurance. Larger businesses do, or they will face fines, starting in 2015.
Angie Short also runs a small business and is relieved that not all the new rules will apply to her South Tampa staffing company. She’s talked to other business owners who feel the same.
“I think the frustration I hear in a lot of cases is they still don’t really understand the impact,” says Short. “I have so many companies that I talk to that tell me, you know what, we’re not doing anything yet. We’re waiting to see what’s going to happen.”
Still, Short says is going to offer insurance to her 10 full time employees. She says it will help her stay competitive.
“I’m not a politician, I don’t make a lot of those decisions but I know ultimately they are going to affect me somehow,” she says. “So to me, it’s better to be prepared and start planning now, than to wait for it to impact me over time.”
That choice could be expensive proposition. But she says she’s trying to think long term.
Source: Small Firms Face Big Confusion
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Florida Makes Spreading Word On Health Care Law A Challenge
At a community center named for Florida civil rights pioneer Carrie Meek, a few dozen members of Miami’s National Church of God gathered over the weekend for a tea party — and to hear from a special guest, Monica Rodriguez of Enroll America.
The organization is working to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act, the federal law that will let people without health insurance shop for coverage starting Oct. 1.
“By a show of hands,” Rodriguez asks the group, “how many people have heard of the Affordable Care Act, or know that there are changes coming in the community with health care coverage?”
Only about 5 of the 20 people sitting in the audience raise their hands. It’s an indication of the challenge ahead. And state officials aren’t helping.
Enroll America staffer Rodriguez can’t enroll people in plans. She can only tell them about the upcoming deadlines and how to access the exchange. She’s finding that many people are unaware of the changes coming and others are hearing bad information. “Some of the misinformation — that you have to belong to a particular political party in order to register,” she says.
Florida is one of the states where elected officials fought hardest against the law. The state has refused to set up its own health care exchange or to expand Medicaid, even though it would provide coverage for nearly 1 million additional Floridians.
More recently, Republican leaders in Florida have said they have concerns about navigators, federally funded workers who will help enroll people in health plans.
“This is set to take place on Oct. 1, and our citizens need to know that that information that they’re giving up could compromise their safety and security,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a Cabinet meeting last month.
Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Rick Scott raised the issue with congressional leaders. In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, he talked about a recent incident in Minnesota where a man applying for a job as a navigator was mistakenly sent Social Security numbers and personal information of 2,400 people.
As navigators prepare for Oct. 1, the day they can begin signing people up for health plans, Scott’s administration recently raised another obstacle. The state health department sent out a directive saying navigators will not be allowed to use any of its offices for outreach and enrolling.
“It’s unfortunate that scare tactics are being used which may actually prevent people from getting healthy in the first place,” says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who has been visiting Florida a lot lately.
She was here last week to announce a partnership with CVS Caremark. It’s one of several pharmacy chains that have agreed to set up kiosks and train staff to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act.
“I’m hopeful that a county health department, a place where people go to get health care and stay healthy, becomes a logical place to connect with people who have coverage needs, who have questions,” Sebelius says. “And we hope that the governor will reconsider that decision.”
Sebelius says it’s “absolutely untrue” that the privacy of consumers’ personal health information is at risk. And she called barring navigators from health department offices a “disservice” to Floridians.
Florida’s Health department is standing by its decision, but there are exceptions. Several county health centers across the state will help enroll people. That’s because they applied for and received grants to help people sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Florida Makes Spreading Word On Health Care Law A Challenge
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Quick Information on Obamacare
What happens Jan. 1, 2014? Two big things:
1) Everyone can buy health insurance. Insurance companies can no longer screen out people with health risks.
2) Everyone who doesn’t already have insurance needs to buy it, except for a few groups, including those who have incomes below the poverty level. (To check poverty levels, see this page.)
This means those who get health coverage at work, or through Medicare or some other government program, don’t have to do anything. They just need to sign up for next year’s coverage the same way they always do. Three-fourths of Floridians are not affected.
Uninsured Floridians can shop at a federally-run online Marketplace beginning Oct. 1 for coverage that begins Jan. 1. Open enrollment lasts through March 31, 2014.
Information about enrollment is at www.healthcare.gov or by calling a toll-free number, (800) 318-2596.
Note to Medicare beneficiaries: Your enrollment period for 2014 coverage in a prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan is Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Go to www.cms.gov or call 1-800-Medicare. To talk to a volunteer advisor, call Florida SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) at 1-800-963-5337.
FAQ:
I don’t want to buy insurance. Do I have to?
No, if you’re willing to pay the penalty: $95 or 1% of your income. So if your income is $20,000, your penalty is $200. The penalty increases every year. Of course, going without insurance leaves you open to bankruptcy if you become seriously ill or injured.
Note: Those who have incomes under the poverty level do not have to buy health insurance.
I want to shop for a health policy. What are my choices?
In Florida, we don’t know yet. The list of plans and prices will have to be released by Oct. 1, the first shopping day on the federal online Marketplace at www.healthcare.gov.
Will I qualify for a subsidy?
It depends on your income and family size. HHS says most of the uninsured who shop on the Marketplace will qualify for financial help. That can be a discount on the premium price or help in paying out-of-pocket expenses. Use this income calculator to see whether you qualify: http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/
Does my boss have to provide me with health insurance?
No. If you work for a big company with more than 50 full-time employees, your employer may have to cover you in 2015 or pay a hefty penalty. But not in 2014; this part of the law was deferred for a year. (Note: The law defines full-time as 30 hours a week or more.)
If you’re in a small company, with fewer than 50 full-timers, the employer does not have to provide health coverage, even in the future. But small employers who want to shop for a plan have two choices in Florida:
1) Use the federal online SHOP – Small Business Health Options Program – Marketplace at www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/. Tax credits are available for companies with fewer than 25 employees.
2) A state-sponsored alternative exchange called Florida Health Choices offers a few plans; tax credits are not available. Site: Myfloridachoices.org.
Source: Quick Information On Obamacare
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