The United Church of Christ

1. The United Church of Christ • Presents • “Helping Those You Serve – • Connect to Health Care Coverage” • Designed for Pastors, Health and Outreach Ministries, Church Members

2. What you need to know about The Affordable Care Act United Churches of Christ Healthcare Program Justice and Witness Ministries Sunday, October 13, 2013

3. Opening Reflection Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer

4. Presenter • Yvonne Oliver, M.A. • Program Associate, Health Care Justice • Justice and Witness Ministries • United Church of Christ

5. Why we are here today • Educate • Provide facts • Dispel myths • Inform the congregation of healthcare decisions they may need to make • Provide a forum for discussion

6. Church’s Role in Health Care • The most important dimension to health is spiritual • Our immune system is directly related to the community we live in and all aspects of the environment • Harmony with the creator, neighbors and earth is needed to survive any type of tragedy • Moral Issues • We are Called to Care for Each Other

7. Today’s Presentation Goals • The benefits of Patient Protection Affordable Care Act • How to sign up for health insurance coverage • Explain the Market Place • What is a Navigator • What are the 10 Essential Benefits • Who can be Certified Application Counselors • Resources to connect people

8. Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZkk6ueZt-U

9. The Building Blocks of the ACA • Expands access to insurance Increases consumer protections Emphasizes prevention and wellness Improves quality and outcomes of care Lowers health care costs Good for the economy

10. Expands Access to Insurance • 50% Drug discounts for Medicare • Physician quality reporting • New payment system rewards providers for quality of care rather than volume of services • Medicare increases payment to primary care providers 10% • Employers required to disclose value of benefits • Establishes choice for purchasing voluntary community living assistance

11. Consumer Protections • 80% of collected premiums must be spent on health care • Readmission Reduction Program • No lifetime or annual dollar cap • Insurers cannot deny care or payment • States review large rate increases • Women not charged higher rates • Consumer’s right to choose their doctor

12. ACA Good for the Economy and Jobs • Training, grants, scholarships to expand physicians, nurses, Physicians Assistants • Grants to educational institutions to expand training • Small business can receive tax credits • Healthier, more productive employees • National Health Service Corps repays loans to health care providers working with underserved

13. Improves quality and outcomes of care

14. ACA Benefits Now Working For You • Insurance companies cannot drop you when you get sick • Mental health/substance use services • No lifetime limits • Young adults can stay on parents plan up to age 26 • Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied • No co-pays for preventive services • Some businesses currently qualify for tax credits then increase in 2014

15. ACA Benefits Now Working For You • 50% Drug discounts for Medicare • Physician quality reporting • New payment system rewards providers for quality of care rather than volume of services • Medicare increases payment to primary care providers 10% • Employers required to disclose value of benefits • Establishes choice for purchasing voluntary community living assistance

16. What’s Happening Now? • Six Month Open Enrollment • October 1, 2013 thru March 31, 2014 • In the Marketplace you will be able to apply, compare plans, and enroll. • Coverage starts as soon as January 1, 2014. • Check your state’s website and Hot Line • Medicaid Expansion

17. What’s Happening Now? • States have created their insurance market places; and navigator training Programs. • Health disparity is a key issue. • The National Partnership for Action, Office on Minority Health and Health and Human Services and others are releasing reports and standards to help guide this work.

18. The ACA and Health Disparities • Expands funding for community health centers. • Provides funding for health prevention programs (Community Transformation Grants, the Innovation Grants program and others.)

19. The ACA and Health Disparities Summary • Reinforces the requirement for hospitals to do community needs assessments and community benefits plans. • Requires data on race and ethnicity to be collected by all public health and health care organizations.

20. The ACA and Health Disparities • Provides funding for community health workers. • Provides funding to increase workforce development activities. • Supports the development of new models of care.

21. Who is Uninsured

22. Who is Uninsured?

23. Who is Uninsured?

24. Who is Uninsured?

25. Shopping for Health Insurance

26. Insurance Marketplace in 2014 • Millions of people will use the Health Insurance Market Place • Creates one-stop shopping for easy comparison of coverage options

27. Insurance Marketplace in 2014 • Gives you more choice and control • Subsidies for individuals and tax credits for small businesses are available to make it more affordable • Congress will get its coverage through the same Market places

28. Individual Responsibility Requirement How Can I Obtain Coverage? Who is Exempt from the Mandate? Individuals with religious objection Undocumented immigrants Individuals whose income is below the threshold required to file a tax return Individuals where the lowest cost health plan available exceeds 8% of their income • Employer • Medicaid/CHIP • Medicare/TRICARE • The exchange: Financial help through subsidies will be available

29. Plans Must meet certain coverage Levels

30. Navigators: Connecting People with the Insurance Market Place The Market Place is required to create a navigator program to: • Inform people about their new insurance options • Help people enroll in their plan of choice • Help people keep their coverage (stay enrolled)

31. Navigators – Connecting People with the Insurance Market Place • Required by the Marketplace • Federally funded • Complete a 20 hour of training • Knowledge of state Qualified Health Plans • Conduct outreach and education • Give fair and impartial information • Provide culturally and linguistically competent information, and in a manner that is accessible for people with disabilities

32. Certified Application Counselors(CACs) • Additional program to assist with enrollment, not federally funded • Allows community health centers, hospitals, community and social service agencies to also assist with outreach and enrollment into the marketplace. • Training and skills required to provide reliable, secure assistance. • Critical to achieving a high rate of enrollment.

33. Agents and Brokers • Agents and brokers can: • Help enroll people and small employees into the marketplace. • Provide information on Qualified Health Plans • Agents and Brokers must follow Federal training and register to conduct business in the marketplace. • Can receive compensation for enrollment.

34. Enroll America • Working to increase the number of people who will gain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. • Get Covered America campaign is working with groups to do grassroots education and dialogue with communities

35. ACA Best Practices for Churches • The goal of the ACA is to move away from a culture of sickness to a culture that emphasizes prevention and  wellness. • Churches are trusted sources of information and will have a key role in helping to connect uninsured people to healthcare .  •  A church or groups of churches can partner with neighboring congregations or social service agencies or health centers to host enrollment events. •  Share information with church and community members about enrollment.  The ACA requires that all materials be written in plain language, reading levels for newspapers writing is 6th-8th grade. 

36. ACA Best Practices for Churches • www.healthcare.gov for the most accurate information.  View “Youtoons” produced by Kaiser Family Foundation www.kff.org •  Go to www.EnrollAmerica.org enrollment information. • Consumer Assistance Counselors will be available to provide information but they  do not enroll, only navigators or brokers can enroll. • Engage Faith Community Nurses in your conference to assist churches. • Encourage patients to find a doctor and build relationship so that you can  become connected with a medical home. • Be Patient. 

37. Take Action – Get Involved • Stay involved by - • Writing letters to the editor • Speaking to others about the ACA • Calling legislators • Calling volunteers • Attending rallies and events • Hosting a house party • Share your story with us to help someone else.

38. HHS.GOV

39. Resources • www.healthcare.gov • http://www.enrollamerica.org • Kaiser Family Foundation – Test drive the calculator – interactive tools, fact sheets • www.kff.org • Faithful Reform • (www.faithfulreform.org )

40. Resources • www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org • www.commonwealthfund.org • www.statehealthfacts.org • www.hhs.gov/partnerships/aca_act_and_community/index • www.marketplace.cms.gov/getofficialresources/multimedia/multimedia.html

41. Additional Information Yvonne Oliver, M.A. United Church of Christ Healthcare Justice Program Associate Justice and Witness Ministries 700 Prospect Avenue East Cleveland, Ohio 44115 – 1100 216-736-3710 olivery@ucc.org