unpacking the affordable care act final
TRANSCRIPT
Unpacking the Affordable Care Act
AND ITS IMPACT IN GEORGIA
ELISE BLASINGAME, GEORGIA WATCH &LAURA COLBERT, GEORGIANS FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE
Who We Are:
Georgia Watch State-wide consumer advocacy
organization. Programmatic focus areas in
healthcare access, consumer energy, financial protection and civil justice.
Operated a navigator program as part of the Seedco Consortium in OE1 and OE2.
Provided specific expertise on complex tax filing issues related to ACA and advanced issues with Marketplace appeals.
Georgians for a Healthy Future State-wide consumer health
advocacy organization Vision: A day when every
Georgian has access to the quality, affordable health care that they need to live healthy lives and contribute to the health of their communities
Provide enrollment and post-enrollment assistance, as well as policy recommendations and advocacy related to a variety of health policy issues
Marketplace Basics:
Georgia has a Federally-Facilitated Marketplace
Income between 100-400% of the FPL were eligible to receive an Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC)
Income between 100-250% FPL qualified for cost-sharing reductions (less costly; higher value plans)
Providers Offering Marketplace Plans in Georgia During OE1/OE2
Getting Georgia Covered
Organizations Providing Enrollment Assistance During OE1/OE2
65+ Certified Application Counselor Organizations 48 Navigator Organizations
Federal Grantees HRSA Grantees
Organizations with chronic disease management focus
Enrollment in Georgia
ENROLLMENT OE1 ENROLLMENT OE2316,543 541,080
During Open Enrollment 2 (2014-2015) Nearly 9 in 10 Georgians qualified for an advanced premium tax
credit 45% re-enrolled from the previous year Organizations with chronic disease management focus 55% were new enrollees to the Marketplace Effectuated enrollment for OE2: 83.7% (452,815)
Enrollment in Georgia: By County
(OE2)
Enrollment in Georgia: Cost
The average premium paid for an individual plan after tax credits were applied was $73/month
Using Healthcare.gov Plans
Challenges to Enrollment Initial issues with healthcare.gov during OE1 Limited health insurance literacy among consumers Immigrants faced language and verification issues Confusion and political opposition to ACA hindered partnerships Consumers who fall into the coverage gap cannot access
affordable care
Challenges Post-Enrollment
Income and citizenship verification issues with the Marketplace Healthcare providers denying ‘Obamacare’ plans. Tax-filing issues related to consumers who received an excess tax
credit. Miscommunication between health insurance providers and the
Marketplace.
Successes Using a variety of local venues to conduct outreach and organize
enrollment events Leveraging the support of existing partnerships for outreach Developing trust with consumers Strategic media through local outlets
VITA Tax Preparer & Seedco Navigator Debrief Grady Navigator assists recently terminated Fulton County Employees
So When is Open Enrollment?
Nov. 1, 2015 Jan. 31, 2016
Nov. 15, 2014 Feb. 15, 2015
Oct 1., 2013 March 31, 2014
OE1
OE2
OE3
March 15 – April 30, 2015
TAX PENALTY SEP
April 17, 2014
Open Enrollment 3 (OE3)
New navigator organizations Focus on hard-to-reach populations
Georgia: one of the top 10 markets for eligible but uninsured consumers
Atlanta: Top market for eligible, but uninsured African-Americans Georgia-specific outreach & education materials
Questions?Elise BlasingameDirector of Community Education & Financial ProtectionGeorgia Watch404-525-1085 [email protected]
Laura ColbertCommunity Outreach ManagerGeorgians for a Healthy Future404-567-5016, ext. [email protected]