Tag: ACA

Last Day to Sign Up for Insurance Through ACA Marketplaces

Today is the last day to enroll in or change a 2017 insurance plan through the federal healthcare marketplace. But if the Affordable Care Act is repealed,…

Today is the last day to enroll in or change a 2017 insurance plan through the federal healthcare marketplace. But if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, this may be the last time people can sign up for insurance through the marketplace.

In 2016, more than 37,000 West Virginians signed up for health insurance through the ACA marketplaces. Nationwide, enrollment numbers for 2017 are up slightly from 2016 numbers – despite promises from President Trump to repeal the healthcare law.

Last week, the White House ordered federal health officials to stop advertising that the final days to sign up for 2017 coverage are approaching. Critics fear this move will suppress the enrollment of young, healthy people who research has shown tend to buy insurance at last minute. Those healthy individuals help pay into the system, but make fewer claims, helping control insurance costs.

As of January 14, 8.8 million Americans had signed up for insurance through the health care marketplace. Enrollment numbers have not been updated since Trump took the White House on January 20.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

West Virginians Reflect on Healthcare

President Trump is four days into his first term and already has made big moves to repeal former President Obama’s signature healthcare law. A repeal of…

President Trump is four days into his first term and already has made big moves to repeal former President Obama’s signature healthcare law. A repeal of the Affordable Care Act – also called Obamacare – has the potential to affect millions of Americans. In this audio postcard, three West Virginians – a former chair of the House health committee, a college student and a small business owner – talk about how they are feeling about their healthcare coming into an era of Trump.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

Senate Republicans Move Forward with Plans to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

President Obama met with Senate Democrats today to discuss strategies to save his signature health care law. Meanwhile Senate Republicans have already introduced a budget resolution that would unravel large pieces of the Affordable Care Act with a majority vote.

However, Republicans have yet to release a replacement plan, instead saying they will repeal, but delay implementation of the law for a couple years. Senate Democrats, including Joe Manchin, are concerned that if the law is repealed without a replacement lined up to take its place, hundreds of thousands of people could lose their health insurance.

“ I said if you’re willing in 2 or 3 years, you’ve been talking about it for 6 years, why don’t we sit down and fix it and vote on each one to fix it that way nobody loses anything,” said Manchin.

Manchin argues that while there are pieces of the healthcare law that need to be fixed, the bones of the law are good and hugely benefit West Virginians. Instead of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, he says, let’s introduce legislation that strengthens, rather than dismantles the law. However Manchin acknowledges that since President-elect Trump built part of his campaign around the cry “repeal the Affordable Care Act,” fixing it may not be a viable solution at this point. 

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

Need Help Picking the Right Health Plan? Navigators Can Help.

For those of you who have to buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act it’s that time of year again – open enrollment is just around the corner. But finding the right plan can be both confusing and time consuming. That’s why for the second year the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are awarding grants to West Virginia organizations that support in-person help in shopping for the right plan.

The grant funds “Navigators” which are people and organizations who help consumers find the right health care option for themselves or business. According to a press release, “navigators can meet in person with consumers and help them understand the coverage options available to them.” They are also able to help consumers pick, apply for, and enroll in a plan of their choice.

Consumers can find Navigators through Local Health at healthcare.gov.

This is the second year of a three year funding cycle. West Virginia received 600,000 this year. Nationwide, 96 organizations received funding, including two in West Virginia.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

Healthcare Representatives Say Obamacare is Good for W.Va.

The MBA program at Shepherd University hosted a panel discussion in Martinsburg Wednesday night that drew in a large crowd. The topic – the Affordable Care Act. The goal of the discussion was to look at the good, the bad, and the unknown and discuss how it directly affects West Virginians.

Dozens of people attended the event at the historic McFarland House in Martinsburg. Like most controversial pieces of legislation, the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, has received plenty of attention since it was first enacted in 2010 – good and bad.

Four panelists from various healthcare organizations were invited to speak Wednesday both in support of and against the law more commonly called Obamacare.

Louise Reese is the CEO of the West Virginia Primary Care Association and was one of the four speakers. She says it’s highly unlikely the nation will see a full repeal of the law like many opponents have called for.

“We have implemented so many components of the Affordable Care Act that trying to repeal or bring it back would create more chaos then it would be to correct the problems,” Reese explained, “so even if our political change is shifted to a Republican base where they would prefer to repeal Obamacare, I don’t think that, that is a reality once they begin to look at all the successes of the program that it would do more harm than intended if they were to try and repeal it.”

Reese believes many who call for the repeal don’t fully understand how the Affordable Care Act works. For West Virginia, Reese says Medicaid expansion alone under the ACA was a game changer.

“When people realize that they will have access to primary care, that they can go to have a radiology procedure that they were afraid to have done because of the cost, there’s just a tremendous burden taken off their shoulders. So most of the patients that the health centers are serving are thankful when they learn that they will now qualify for Medicaid.”

Reese says before the ACA passed, West Virginia had one of the highest rates of uninsured Americans. In the first year of expansion, more than 70,000 West Virginians were able to obtain coverage under Medicaid.

The third open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act will begin on November 1 and end in late January 2016.

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