Yesterday in our “News to Use,” we posted a link to a CMS tool where individuals can submit stories of their enrollment experiences with the marketplaces. I will be submitting my own story to all of these entities as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has already helped me obtain coverage which was previously unavailable to me. As a person with my own physical disabilities, I have been denied coverage in the past due to pre-existing conditions. When my wife recently changed jobs, we had to pay extremely expensive COBRA premiums in order to maintain coverage. As a resident of Maryland, we were able to enroll through the exchange for a comparable plan which will cost us approximately 1/3 what we were paying for the COBRA benefits.
In addition to CMS, other organizations are also looking for people’s experiences as they enroll for coverage through the ACA marketplaces. In addition to submitting your story to CMS, we would encourage you to check out Families USA as they are attempting to develop a consumer story bank.
The National Health Council will be launching a website in the near future where they focus on developing a health care system committed to Putting Patients First. As part of this website, they will be conducting a consumer experience survey and maintaining a patient story bank. The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is proud to be part of the National Health Council which is made up of more than 100 national health-related organizations and businesses. For a visual representation of what they will be providing with their “Putting Patients First” website, please click here.
It is critical for individuals, especially those with disabilities, to share how the ACA is providing access to affordable health care that did not exist prior to the implementation of the ACA. We hope that you will take advantage of these opportunities to get out the good news of how the ACA is helping.
– Karl D. Cooper, Project Associate (AAHD)