HELPFUL RESOURCES IN THE BATTLE FOR THE ACA
With the House passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) two weeks ago, the legislation has moved to the Senate. AAHD remains opposed to this legislation for the reasons stated in our two blog posts – one in March when the bill was originally introduced and one in May on the final version of the bill passed by the House. There are additional resources available to help with advocacy efforts to continue to fight for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the protection of health care coverage for people with disabilities. The day after the House passed the AHCA, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) released a statement expressing concern over the passage of the AHCA. That statement is available here.
The Arc has also released a series of videos which highlight the importance of the ACA and Medicaid in the lives of people with disabilities. To read more about these videos and for links to them, check out our news item.
You can also view our NDNRC statement on health reform which we released after the elections last November. In the statement entitled “Preserve the Protections Provided by the Affordable Care Act,” we call on Congress and the Administration to protect provisions in the ACA which have benefited people with disabilities. The full statement can be found on our website, where it is also available in a PDF download, by clicking here.
For more resources on the AHCA, check out this chart from National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) which has a side-by-side comparison of the AHCA and the ACA.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has released two new fact sheets which address important issues which would be affected by the AHCA. The first brief looks at how the AHCA could affect women’s health while the second brief provides an overview of the Medicaid program, how it works and the effect it has on the health of its beneficiaries. To read more about these issue briefs or to download them, check out our news item.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has also released an issue brief which examines how people with pre-existing conditions would fare under the AHCA when they experience gaps in coverage. To read more about this issue brief or to download a copy, check out our news item.
Earlier this month, the Alliance for Health Reform held a briefing entitled “The Individual Market at a Crossroads: Health Insurance in 2017 and Beyond.” The transcript, agenda, presentations and video of the briefing are available on the Alliance’s website.
Do you get questions from consumers on using their coverage or seeing a doctor? A fact sheet from the University of Washington Aging and Physical Disability Rehabilitation Research and Training Center entitled “How to Get the Most Out of Health Care Visits” may be able to help. The fact sheet goes over four important areas for every health care visit: preparing, asking questions, creating a plan and receiving take-away materials. To download a copy of this fact sheet, click here. Also, be sure to check out our fact sheet on moving from coverage to care for persons with disabilities, available here.
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Eligibility Determinations and Enrollment Report from March 2017. To read the report from CMS, click here. This report can also be found on our Resources & Links page under “Enrollment Statistics.” Prior Medicaid enrollment reports from CMS, are archived on our website here.
Are you interested in becoming more involved with AAHD’s efforts to promote health and wellness initiatives for people with disabilities? Consider becoming an AAHD member. We currently have a membership drive going on in recognition of the 10 year anniversary of our Disability and Health Journal. AAHD membership includes a subscription to the journal at a significant savings. To learn more about the AAHD membership drive, please read the letter from our Executive Director Roberta Carlin.
Are you looking for local partners to help with outreach to the disability community? The NDNRC has Community Outreach Collaboratives (COCs) which work to increase collaborations in the community, dissemination and outreach efforts and enrollment of people with disabilities in the ACA marketplace. To find a COC, click here.
To access the archives for our weekly updates click here.