Category: Affordable Care Act - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

ACA enrollment surges - Of Interest to Our Forum Members

11/29/2022

ACA enrollment surges!

Health Care Reform Forum

The Biden administration is seeing a big increase in the number of new customers buying private health insurance for 2023 from the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplace. Nearly 3.4 million people have signed up for coverage — an increase of 17% compared to the same time last year.

The number of uninsured Americans this year reached a historic low of 8%. The marketplace also saw large gains in the number of Black, Latino and Native Americans who sought coverage.

If you don’t have health insurance simply go to the official government website, HealthCare.gov. and find a plan that suits you. Low income families can qualify for generous subsidies. If you enroll and pay your first premium by December 15th, your coverage will start January 1, 2023. The 2023 Open Enrollment Period continues through January 15, 2023.

Frank Samuelson

Health Care Reform Forum - Vote for Inflation Reduction Act 411

7/30/2022

Ask Legislators to lower drug prices with Inflation Reduction Act

Health Care Reform Forum

Here is a Letter-to-the-Editor that the Health Care Reform Forum has sent to the local press regarding drug prices and health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

OUR $100 MILLION PROBLEM

A nationwide poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that Americans owe 100 million dollars in medical debt. Twenty-five percent of families owe $5,000 or more, and 20% say they won’t be able to pay off their debt. Even families with insurance often find that accidents or emergency care may overwhelm their resources.

Medical debt causes families to cut spending for food and other essentials (63%), use up all their savings (48%), and declare bankruptcy (17%). It also often prevents them from getting health care - even urgent care.

There are many causes for this debt: “surprise” billing by out of network providers, insurance with high deductibles, excessive price hikes for prescription drugs, and just the high cost of treatment in our country with the world’s most expensive health care system. As one expert says: “We have a health care system almost perfectly designed to create debt.”

Some states have tried to address this problem by forbidding credit reporting companies from including medical debt on credit scores, because that can prevent someone from buying a car or a home even when their credit is otherwise good.

Let’s encourage states to adopt fairer credit policies, as above. We can also advocate for national policies to curb rapid inflation of medical and drug costs. Tell your senators to support the bill to help lower drug prices and extend and increase health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Ask them to support the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” today.

Frank Samuelson

Don't Hesitate to seek medical help! - What You Can Do Now

6/7/2022

Don’t Hesitate to Seek Medical Help!

Health Care Reform Forum

Many people are unaware of the free preventive health services covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare). If you or anyone you know purchase health insurance through the government marketplace at healthcare.gov (ACA), you may be entitled to many preventive care benefits.

We have listed two links here - one for adults and one for children.

Adults: https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-adults/
The ACA covers screenings for many diseases, counseling services of all kinds, and most immunizations.There are 22 services for adults.

Children: https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-children/
Preventative care for children includes 29 health services, including well-baby and well-child visits, vision screening, obesity screening and counseling, oral health assessments, and immunizations.

PACG Office Manager

ACA Enrollment Numbers Climb - What You Can Do Now

7/21/2021

New Numbers for the ACA!

Health Care Reform Forum

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has subsidized health insurance plans for more than 2 million more people since President Biden reopened health insurance markets. This pandemic response plan enabled 1.5 million to enroll through the federal Healthcare.gov marketplace and 600,000 through state-run insurance exchanges. Since April 1st, customers have been given much more generous financial assistance. Although this benefit is temporary, the administration hopes to make it permanent through legislation later this year.

The special enrollment period is scheduled to end on August 15, 2021.

If you know anyone you think may be uninsured, encourage them to check out the options available in the ACA by logging on to Healthcare.gov. Informational flyers are available for download.

Spanish Version

English Version

Pictured here is our Forum member, Deb Sperry, posting flyers at the Eldridge Library. Contact PACG's office manager if you would like flyers to distribute.

Frank Samuelson

ACA Enrolls One Million! A Message from the Board

6/15/2021

Obamacare Enrolls One Million For Insurance Coverage!

Health Care Reform Forum

The Biden Administration's new enrollment period for health insurance via the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has added 1,000,000 Americans to the insurance rolls. They have also increased premium subsidies for low-income families making insurance even more affordable. The special enrollment period has been extended through August 15th. If you know anyone you think may be uninsured, encourage them to check out the options available in the ACA by logging on to Healthcare.gov. Informational flyers are available for download:

Spanish: https://mcusercontent.com/1da3c2782b61efac25e9f618b/files/5b4701e2-6a8a-684b-7ce2-9ced54077dad/NECESITA_SEGURO_MÉDIC1_2021.pdf

English: https://mcusercontent.com/1da3c2782b61efac25e9f618b/files/945948cb-690a-79a0-2ccc-5111ca79d803/NEED_HEALTH_INSURANCE_2021_ENROLLLMENT.pdf

Pictured here is our Forum member, Deb Sperry, posting flyers at the Eldridge Library. Contact [email protected] if you would like flyers to distribute.

Frank Samuelson

Open Enrollment for ACA Nov 1st to Dec 15th

10/20/2020

Spread the Word About the ACA! Open Enrollment Starts Soon
November 1st through December 15th

Health Care Reform Forum

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is still the law of the land!

Uninsured families, including those who have lost health insurance or have lost income due to the pandemic, may qualify for insurance and/or a subsidy on the ACA Marketplace. Open enrollment is from November 1st through December 15th.

You can help share this good news by:
1. Encouraging any friend, neighbor or family member that you think might need health insurance to check out their eligibility on HealthCare.gov.

2. Distributing or posting a flier about the ACA enrollment on community bulletin boards, in barber shops, salons laundromats, churches, etc. Place these wherever (especially, low income) people might see them.

3. Download and print “Need Health Insurance?” fliers like the one below, or contact me for copies.

Frank Samuelson

need_health_insurance_2020.pdf
File Size:	42 kb
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Informed Voter Series Town Hall

7/28/2020

Informed Voter Series: Medicare Anniversary Town Hall
via Zoom
Thursday, July 30th at 4:00 pm

Voter Information

Medicare was signed into law on July 30, 1965. We will be celebrating the anniversary of Medicare with a town hall. We have invited both Senator Joni Ernst and Senatorial Democratic Candidate Theresa Greenfield to attend and address voters' concerns about Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug policies and health care.

Theresa Greenfield has accepted our invitation and will be present to discuss her health care policies. Senator Joni Ernst has not yet responded to our request.

The Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, American Association of University Women, Americans for Democratic Action Iowa, Iowa Lower Drug Prices Now, National Organization for Women, Progressive Action for the Common Good, and Iowa Citizen Action Network are partnering to bring you this Informed Voter Series.

An RSVP to this event is required.

Allison Ambrose, President

After Action Report - PPE Donation by Health Care Reform Forum

4/2/2020

Lending a Hand - After Action Report

Davenport Salvation Army

Health Care Reform

Some of you will remember that way back before the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the PACG Health Care Reform Forum had a project to collect hand prints from individuals in our community as part of our advocacy for national health care legislation. Participants used latex gloves to protect their hands from the paint that was used. When the ACA was passed, the project was discontinued, but we still had many gloves.

This week, as the call went out in our community for personal protective equipment (PPE)—including latex gloves—the Forum was able to donate our surplus of gloves for the use of firefighters and EMTs (for whom protection, but not sterility, is critical). And just how many gloves did we provide? Between 5000 and 6000! It felt good to help our community, even in this small way. Truly, this is the core mission of Progressive ACTION for the COMMON Good.

Health Insurance Sign Up Help Is Available!

10/22/2019

Help Get The Word Out About Health Insurance Sign Up!

Health Care Reform Forum

Help Get The Word Out On Health Insurance!

Flyers are available to help uninsured people access health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

ObamaCare - Enroll

Open enrollment is from November 1st to December 15th.

Our flyer is also available as a download below. If you know someone who may be uninsured, give them a flyer. If you can post flyers on public bulletin boards, in stores, or restaurants, please do so. If you need a quantity of flyers to post or hand out, contact Frank Samuelson at [email protected].

Note: See our Health Care Reform Forum Statement on Health Insurance Choices.

Frank Samuelson

hcr_health_insurance_flyer_-_2019.docx
File Size:	42 kb
File Type:	docx

hcr_health_insurance_flyer_-_2019.pdf
File Size:	67 kb
File Type:	pdf

Health Care Reform Forum Meetings

4/8/2019

Health Care Reform Forum Meeting - Tuesday, April 16th at 6:00 pm

St. John's Lutheran Church
45070 7th AV, Rock Island, IL (map)

Our Forum is now meeting twice a month.

At our April 2nd meeting we decided to first focus our efforts on "Health Care 101," a program to educate (especially) people who are uninsured on the basic concepts and terminology of health insurance, and to encourage them to check out how they may get insurance through Government programs and the ACA. This will be a primary focus of our next meeting.

The second focus will be on planning an event celebrating the (almost) 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. This event will be in late October to help jump start the ACA open enrollment period which begins November 1st.

Other priorities will be to refine "Health Care 201" which we "premiered" at St John's congregation last month, to get the results of the ACA petitions used with students at Augustana and to consider other venues to collect signatures.

We have ambitious goals. Please join us in planning and accomplishing these goals.