SECOND REPORT ISSUED BY NCD ON ACA AND DISABILITY
Last week we reported that the National Council on Disability (NCD) had released the first of three reports on the ACA and disability. This week, NCD released the second report in that series entitled “The Impact of the Affordable Care Act: A 2015 Status Report.” To read more about this report and to download a copy of the report, read our news item by clicking here. To read about the first report in the series click here.
For those of you doing enrollment work in New York, last year we released six state specific fact sheets which were adapted versions of our topical fact sheets. The adapted versions are specific to New York and can be accessed on the New York state page under “State Specific Fact Sheets” here. With the assistance of our NY COC, the Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY) and the New York state exchange, NY State of Health, we have revised Fact Sheet #15 – “Medicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities (NY).” The revised fact sheet can be found by clicking here.
Selecting an appropriate plan for a consumer who has unique health care needs is critical. A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation entitled “Marketplace Health Plan Options for People with HIV Under the ACA” shows how lower premiums are many times not the most cost-effective for consumers with special health care needs. To download a copy of this issue brief, click here. The issue brief is also available on our Resources & Links page under “Enrollment Resources – Populations with Special Health Care Needs.”
It’s the beginning of tax season and you may have consumers asking questions about the tax forms they are receiving in the mail regarding their health coverage. To help with these questions, check out the Kaiser Family Foundation FAQs on these tax forms. To read about Form 1095-A (for marketplace coverage) click here or for employer based coverage, you can read about Form 1095-B by clicking here or read about Form 1095-C by clicking here.
Last week we highlighted the webinar presentation we did for United Spinal Association and the slides which we uploaded to the NDNRC website. We are pleased to report that a video recording is now also available. Both the slides and video recording can be found on our “Webinars/Presentations” page here.
On Wednesday, CMS released the Medicaid enrollment data for November 2015. To download a copy of the report, read our news story by clicking here. The report can also be found on our Resources & Links page under “Enrollment Statistics.”
For a little fun, test your knowledge on Medicaid and Long-Term Care and check out the quiz from the Kaiser Family Foundation by clicking here.
As we enter the final weekend of open enrollment, make sure you have all the NDNRC resources you need to assist individuals with disabilities. To access our “Guide to Disability for Healthcare Insurance Marketplace Navigators” click here. We have also released 17 topical fact sheets which address issues such as getting answers to what is covered by qualified health plans, rehabilitation and habilitation services and devices, prescription medication benefits, mental health and substance abuse parity and the process for Medicaid eligibility. All of these topical fact sheets are available here. Finally, so far we have released eight population specific fact sheets which provide navigators and other enrollment specialists with information they need to help specific populations within the disability community. The population specific fact sheets we have released so far are as follows:
- What to Know When Assisting Children and Adults in the Autism Community
- What to Know When Assisting a Consumer who has Experienced or is at Risk for Blood Clots
- What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with a Child with Special Health Care Needs
- What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Intellectual Disability
- What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Mental Illness
- What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Multiple Sclerosis
- What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Traumatic Brain Injury
- Information for Veterans Regarding Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare
Are you looking for local partners to help with outreach to the disability community? The NDNRC is funding eighteen Community Outreach Collaboratives (COCs) for the third year of enrollment. This includes the eleven that were funded last year, plus seven new locations in six new states. The COCs will increase collaborations in the community, dissemination and outreach efforts and enrollment of people with disabilities in the ACA. To find a COC, click here.
To access the archives for our weekly updates click here.