8/7/2019 n26 Acc Guide to Health

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April 5, 2010 www.theAccent.org News | page 5

Are you insured throughyour employer or have

private insurance?

Do you want to keep yourcurrent plan?

Are you 26 years old oryounger?

Do you haveinsurance?

Do you wantinsurance?

NO

NO

NO

NONONO

YES

YESYES

YES

YES

**

*

Starting in 2014, mostAmericans will be requiredto buy health insurance orpay a penalty.

- H.R. 3950, SubtitleF, Part I, Sec. 1504

You can stay on yourparents choice ofinsurance. - H.R. 3950, Title I,

Subtitle A, SubpartII, Sec. 2714

You will qualify for Medic-aid if your householdincome is below 133 per-cent of the poverty levelstarting in 2014. - H.R. 3950, Title II, Subtitle

A, Sec. 2001

You can buy coveragethrough new health careexchanges starting in2014.

- H.R. 3950

Austin Community Collegestudents vary in age. Accord-ing to 12th Day data fromFall 2009, students 18-30years old made up 69.84percent of enrollment. 22.52

percent of students were 31years or older. No matterwhat your age, the Health-care Reform Bill affects you.This chart will help guideyou to make an informeddecision concerning yourhealth care options.

You can keep yourcurrent plan, however,changes to your cover-age may occur.

If you are enrolled in eitherMedicaid or Medicare, youcan keep your current ben-efits, but changes to theprograms will be made.

Health careexchanges

A lot of unknowns when it comes to

how the government plans to implementthe health care exchange on 2014, howeverhere is a breakdown of what we do know:

Health insurance exchanges will haveour levels o benets to choose rom.Each plan will cover essential healthbenets, plus our tiers o coverage. Someessential benets include emergencyservice, hospitalization, maternity andnewborn care, prescription drugs, labservices and pediatric care.

Te BRONZE Plan will ofer theessentials: minimum cost-sharingprotections that will cover 60 percento the ull value o the benets.

Te SILVER Plan ofers theessentials, plus more: cost-sharing

protections that will cover 70 percento the ull value o the benets.

Te GOLD Plan ofers the essentials,plus more: cost-sharing protectionsthat will cover 80 percent o the ullvalue o the benets. Te PLATINUM Plan ofers theessentials, plus more: cost-sharingprotections that will cover 90 percento the ull value o the benets. Source: H.R. 3950, Part IV - State

Flexibility to Establish Alternative

Programs

If you keep your current plan...Many provisions have been enacted to reorm the current health insurancemarket. Key changes include the ollowing:

Private or employee insurance Health insurance companies may not impose any preexisting conditionexclusion. - H.R. 3590, Subtitle C, Subpart I, Section 2704 Health insurance also may not establish rules or eligibility o anyindividual to enroll under the terms o the plan or coverage based on anyhealth status-related actors in relation to the individual or dependent othe individual. - H.R. 3950, Subtitle C, Subpart I, Section 2705

Medicare Tose enrolled will not lose benefts, they will expand to allowMedicare to pay or annual check ups. Tose enrolled in MedicareAdvantage may ace paying higher premiums or lose some benets. -Info found throughout H.R. 3950

Medicaid Adults enrolled can keep their current benefts until 2014 andchildren until 2019. Eligible adults and children will be able to sign upor the revised Medicaid and Medicare benets that will be available inthe uture. - H.R. Bill, Title II, Subtitle A

*

*Guide to Health Care Changes

Source: H.R. 3950, the Patient Protection and Afordable Health Care ActDesign by Chris Scott, Karissa Rodriguez

Health care reform 101

Last time 23-year-old

psychology major Keegan Frickwas sick, she avoided going tothe doctor because she doesnthave health insurance.

In the end, Frick waitedso long to seek help that shedeveloped pneumonia andneeded to go to the emergencyroom. She ully recovered butis still trying to pay of nearly$1,000 in medical bills.

I dont have healthinsurance because I workas a waitress, so I cant get itthrough my employer, Fricksaid. I am also not able to usemy parents insurance becauseshe cannot aford the premiumcosts to add me.

Students like Frick willbenet rom the new PatientProtection and Afordable

Care Act that was signed intolaw as part o the Health Careand Education ReconciliationAct o 2010 (H.R. 4872) byPresident Barack Obama on

March 23.

How it afects students

Te most immediate efector students will be that theycan stay insured under theirparents insurance until theyare 26 years old, Rep. LloydDoggett, D-Austin, said.

Doggett voted yes on the billand represents District 25 inwhich part o the ACC Districtis located.

According to the bill, H.R.4872, this measure will takeefect six months rom now inOct.

Currently, young adultsresiding in exas have been

eligible to remain on theirparents insurance up to their25th birthday, according to

exas House Bill 1446.Students who are not

eligible or their parentsinsurance will be able to signup or insurance through state-

run health care exchangesstarting in 2014.

Exchanges will provide theuninsured with an insurancemarketplace where they canchoose rom diferent levels oinsurance coverage, accordingto a report rom the KaiserFamily Foundation.

Tose who are insuredthrough employers or haveprivate insurance are welcometo sign up or an insuranceplan rom the exchange i theychoose to.

Subsidies will be availablein the orm o tax credits orindividuals making up toour times the ederal poverty

level, which is $43,320 or asingle person, according toan Associated Press report.

Te credits will vary based onincome and premiums costs.

Another option that will beavailable to the uninsured is thechoice to enroll in Medicaid, a

U.S. health insurance programthat provides care to qualiyingpeople who cannot pay ortheir own medical expenses.

Starting in 2014, anyonewith an income below 133percent o the poverty level or about $29,327 in 2009 or aamily o our will be eligibleor a rejuvenated Medicaidprogram, according to the NewYork imes .

Controversy behind the bill

Democrats and Republicanshave been at odds over this billbecause o a specic mandatethat makes it mandatory or allU.S. citizens to have some orm

o health insurance.Te mandate is stated inH.R. 4872. Attorney Generals

rom 14 states, including exasAttorney General Greg Abbott,R-exas, are suing the ederalgovernment over the PatientProtection and Afordable Care

Act, according to the New Yorkimes.

A March 23 pressrelease rom Abbotts oceexplains that the new lawinringes upon Americansconstitutionally protectedindividual liberties; encroachesupon the states constitutionallyguaranteed sovereignty;orces states to spendbillions o additional dollarson entitlement programs;imposes an unconstitutionaltax; and violates the enthAmendment o the UnitedStates Constitution.

Te Democratic PolicyCommittee has rebutted that

the mandate is constitutionalbecause Article I, Section 8o the Constitution Grants

Congress the power to enactthe Individual ResponsibilityPolicy.

Health care responsibilities

Due to the passing o thehealth care reorm bill, averagestudents like Frick may receiveadditional help when it comesto paying or costly medicalbills.

In the uture however,students will need to determinehow they will pay or theirhealth insurance they choose toenroll in as it will be mandatoryin 2014.

Students and all whoare uninsured will initiallypay a penalty or not havinginsurance. Te penalty willbe phased in, starting at $95or one percent o income in2014, whichever is higher, and

rising to $695 or 2.5 percent oincome in 2016, according tothe New York imes.

Controversial health care bill to afect studentsKarissa RodriguezDesign Intern