Latino leaders to discuss state of enrollment opportunities at 6th Annual Hispanic Leadership Health Forum; Enrollment and outreach events scheduled throughout DC
Despite national studies showing the Latino community saw the biggest drops in uninsured rates thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the uninsured rate for Latinos continues to be significantly higher than in other minority communities, according to a United States Census report.
DC Health Link, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Latino Affairs (MOLA), the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and many community-based organizations, will host its annual, action-packed week of intensive enrollment and outreach activities during its Annual Hispanic Enrollment Week of Action. DC Health Link is using this Week of Action to accelerate outreach efforts to promote, educate and motivate Latino enrollment in quality, affordable health insurance. The Hispanic Enrollment Week of Action runs through January 19, 2020.
This is the last in my 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Healthcare Policy series. In some cases I did wonky, in-depth analyses; in others I've simply given an overview with some notes here and there.
Andrew Yang's falls into the latter category, not because of any bias against him, but simply due to a lack of time on my part to give it a more detailed review.
Officially, Yang supports "Medicare for All", but like several other candidates both now and in the past, this isn't quite the same "Medicare for All" that Bernie Sanders is pushing (and which Elizabeth Warren is mostly still pushing):
We are having the wrong conversation on healthcare.
Instead of addressing the underlying problems driving unaffordability and access, we Democrats are spending all our time arguing over who is the most zealous in wanting to cover Americans. Over who has wanted to do so longer. Over who cares more about the health of Americans.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2020, the Massachusetts Health Connector embarks on a one-day, multi-city tour that includes stops at six locations along the North and South Shore to remind Massachusetts residents there is still time to get 2020 health coverage before Open Enrollment ends January 23.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2020, the Massachusetts Health Connector holds its “Day of Coverage” featuring activities across the Commonwealth designed to help people #GetCovered with health insurance for the new year.“Day of Coverage” activities will be held in Boston, Hyannis, Lawrence, New Bedford, and Lowell.
Open Enrollment is happening now and runs through January 23, 2020. Massachusetts residents who want to enroll in coverage or switch plans to start February 1, must sign up through the Health Connector by January 23rd.
Residents can sign up for coverage at www.MAhealthconnector.org, over the phone at 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765), or in person through a local navigator organization.
via the official CNN Democratic Debate Transcript (Part 1, Part 2)
PHILLIP: Let's turn to health care, the top issue for Iowa Democrats. Donald Trump is trying to repeal Obamacare, including the protections for pre-existing conditions. We all know that each of you vigorously opposes that. Still, there are some questions about what each of you would do.
This was the only time throughout the entire healthcare portion of the debate that anyone said a peep about the Texas vs. Azar lawsuit...and it wasn't even one of the candidates; it was the moderator.
Senator Sanders, you have consistently refused to say exactly how much your Medicare For All plan is going to cost. Don't voters deserve to see the price tag before you send them a bill that could cost tens of trillions of dollars?
With the Texas vs. Azar lawsuit (aka #TexasFoldEm) dangling over everyone's heads like the Sword of Damocles, Kaiser Family Foundation CEO Drew Altman has a short piece up over at Axios which notes that the sick irony of this whole stupid situation is that the ACA itself is clearly doing at least reasonably well without the mandate penalty being in place anyway...completely undermining the entire case of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit:
The ACA is doing fine without a mandate penalty
The Affordable Care Act’s insurance market has not been materially affected by the elimination of the individual mandate penalty — undercutting a key argument in the lawsuit urging the courts to strike down the health care law.
Close To 20 Percent Of Access Health CT Customers Still Need To Submit Verification Documents To Stay Covered
Customers can scan and submit verification documents at Enrollment Fairs, via mail or online
Some AHCT customers will receive letters in the mail requesting specific documents to confirm information in their application.
Documents can be submitted online, at an Enrollment Fair where documents can be scanned and uploaded immediately or by mail.
Failure to submit documents by the deadline can result in loss of coverage or financial help.
HARTFORD, Conn. (January 13, 2020)—Open Enrollment to sign up for a 2020 health insurance plan through Access Health CT (AHCT) ends at midnight on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Connecticut residents can still enroll online, over the phone, or in-person at any of our Enrollment Fairs or five Enrollment Locations—and some might need to submit verification documents.
Located across Colorado, these events provide educational and enrollment information about health insurance coverage, the application process and financial help through Connect for Health Colorado. While you can’t complete enrollment at all of these events, they are a great opportunity to talk with our network of trusted, certified experts and to schedule appointments.
Pueblo Get Covered is hosting an open enrollment on Wed, Jan 15 from 8 am - 5 pm at 230 N Union Ave. Pueblo, CO 81003. For more information call 719-583-6611. Jan 15 is the last day of open enrollment!
I've been reluctant to add Tom Steyer's healthcare plan into my candidate analyses, but like Michael Bloomberg, Steyer has managed to flood the airwaves with well over $100 MILLION of his own money in TV ads and it's at least partly paid off. He's been in a couple of the Democratic debates, and is placing in 2nd or 3rd in a couple of South Carolina primary polls, so I guess he's justified my taking a look at his plan:
Health care is a right for all
Every American has the Right to Health Care. Health is the foundation for a full and productive life. Yet for far too long, the corporate stranglehold on our health care system has kept Americans from accessing and affording the health care they need.
Costs are simply too high. Patients in the United States spend on average $9,892 a year on health care, which is 25% higher than the next highest-cost nation. Predatory drug companies, insurance providers, and hospitals squeeze every last dollar in profit possible from the system. As these corporations deliver skyrocketing returns to shareholders, politicians in Washington, D.C. do nothing to help the hard-working families whose budgets are being held hostage.
This Just In via the New Hampshire Insurance Dept...
Governor Sununu and NH Insurance Department Announce Plan to Reduce Premium Rates, Improve Individual Health Insurance Market
CONCORD, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu is announcing that the New Hampshire Insurance Department intends to file a Section 1332 State Relief and Empowerment Waiver application with the federal government to promote stability in the state’s individual health insurance market with an expectation that plan year 2021 premiums will be reduced by approximately 15% over what they would have been otherwise.
18,611 people have selected individual market Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) for 2020
Officially, this is down over 5% vs. last year...however...
...the final official total for the 2019 Open Enrollment Period was only 18,035 due to some last-minute clerical error corrections and/or purging of last-minute cancellations.
...which means that at least for the moment, DC is up 3.2% year over year.
Remember, DC residents can still #GetCovered through the end of January for coverage starting in either February or March, so this number should increase a bit more yet.
