Access to Healthcare
Welcome to Community Clinic Consortium’s one-stop-shop for the latest updates on healthcare reform! While understanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be difficult, getting the necessary information to educate yourself, your family, and your community shouldn’t have to be. From outreach materials to legislative news, let us help you stay informed with access to quality resources and more!
In March 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Since then, major changes have been made in the health care industry to expand access to quality and affordable health care coverage for all. The three aims of the law seek to improve the quality of care, expand access to and reduce the cost of health care.
The passage of the ACA not only prompted changes to health care policy nationally, but also brought about reform on state and local levels to compliment national law. California was the first state to implement a state-based exchange, Covered California, tasked with enrolling approximately 7 million uninsured residents of California into affordable health coverage.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, consumers can now shop for affordable health coverage options with greater transparency and clarity on services available and costs to make sound medical decisions for themselves and their families.
Click here to learn more about the Affordable Care Act.
HISTORY OF THE HEALTH CARE LAW
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond. Use the links below to learn about what’s changing and when:
2010: A new Patient’s Bill of Rights goes into effect, protecting consumers from the worst abuses of the insurance industry. Cost-free preventive services begin for many Americans.
See More 2010 Changes
2011: People with Medicare can get key preventive services for free, and also receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs in the Medicare “donut hole.”
See More 2011 Changes
2012: Accountable Care Organizations and other programs help doctors and health care providers work together to deliver better care.
See More 2012 Changes
2013: Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace begins on October 1st.
See More 2013 Changes
2014: All Americans will have access to affordable health insurance options. The Marketplace will allow individuals and small businesses to compare health plans on a level playing field. Middle and low-income families will get extra credits that cover a significant portion of the cost of coverage. And the Medicaid program will be expanded to cover more low-income Americans. All together, these reforms mean that millions of people who were previously uninsured will gain coverage, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
See More 2014 Changes
Resources
You CAN Have Healthcare Presentation (Adobe PDF)
The Consortium has been providing training on the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) through through the use of the following presentation. It was created to help individuals understand how the Affordable Care Act affects individuals, families and communities in an easy to understand format. Through this presentation you will learn key aspects of the ACA, it’s impact in California, current coverage programs available, and the cost of remaining uninsured.
Covered California™ has tentatively selected 13 health insurance companies that will be available for enrollment starting this fall. The plans will offer quality health care to millions of Californians in the individual market while providing consumers meaningful choices of exceptionally affordable health insurance plans in every region of the state. Coverage takes effect Jan. 1, 2014.
Affordable Care Act: What Californians Should Know
The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed at reforming our nation’s health care system became law in March 2010, but it’s implementation is staged over a number of years. Some provisions have already taken affect and others will be implemented in 2014 and beyond. This overview summarizes the effects of the ACA on Californians.
Links
Covered California – http://www.coveredca.com/
Volunteer
If you would like to help uninsured Californians get coverage go to www.seiu-uhw.org/Obamacare or contact Deserae Borras at or Jared Mayhugh at .