Latinos United for Healthcare

HEALTH PLANS AT $100 OR LESS

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many uninsured Americans qualify for health plans on the new health insurance marketplaces that cost $100 per person per month, or less.

NEW RIGHTS AND BENEFITS

  • 6.3 million seniors are paying less for prescription drugs
  • 105 million Americans are paying less for preventive care, including more than 47 million women.
  • 105 million Americans are no longer subject to lifetime limits.
  • 17 million children with pre-existing conditions are no longer being denied coverage or charged more.
  • In 2013, the law helped 8.5 million Americans receive money back in their pockets and purse by making sure premium dollars go to health care, not overhead or profits. In 2011 and 2012, $3.9 billion in premium savings were returned to Americans as insurer accountability and transparency policies kicked in.

IMMIGRATION STATUS AND THE ACA

Many immigrant families are of “mixed status,” with members having different immigration and citizenship statuses. Some families may have members who can’t buy health insurance through the Marketplace, alongside other family members who are eligible to use the Marketplace, like lawfully present immigrants.

Not sure how the immigration status of family members might impact your eligibility to enroll? Find the answers at healthcare.gov/help/immigration-status-questions

It’s also important to know that any information collected through the application process for the applicant and non-applicant will not be used for immigration enforcement purposes. The government will verify your lawfully present status only to check what health insurance programs you may be eligible for and to process your Marketplace enrollment. Learn more about how your data is used.

Apply for health coverage and get coverage for those in your family that are eligible. Personal information in your Marketplace application won’t affect your immigration status. Enrolling in health coverage – and using the health insurance that this important law extends to eligible individuals – will not prevent your loved ones who are undocumented from getting a green card in the future or who do not yet have a green card at risk.

ACA HELPS SLOW GROWTH OF HEALTH CARE COSTS

  • The Affordable Care Act requires issuers to justify any rate increases of 10 percent or more;
  • The law requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on care, which has contributed to Americans saving an estimated $3.9 billion in 2012;
  • The law incentivizes providers to deliver smarter care, resulting in better outcomes and lower costs for consumers.

HEALTH CARE AND LATINOS

  • The Marketplace is a destination where consumers can compare insurance options in simple, easy to understand language. At the Marketplace, consumers will be able to compare insurance options based on price, benefits, quality and other factors with a clear picture of premiums and cost-sharing amounts to help them choose the insurance that best fits their needs. • Consumers may be eligible for free or low cost coverage, or advance premium tax credits that lower monthly premiums right away. Individuals with higher incomes (up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $94,200 for a family of four) are eligible to purchase subsidized coverage from the Health Insurance Marketplace.
  • States have new opportunities to expand Medicaid coverage to include Americans with family incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level (generally $31,322 for a family of four in 2013). This expansion includes adults without dependent children living at home, who have not previously been eligible in most states
  • 3.9 million elderly and disabled Latinos who receive health coverage from Medicare have access to many preventive services with no cost-sharing, including annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, colorectal cancer and obesity screening, and mammograms.
  • 913,000 Latino young adults between ages 19 and 25 who would have been uninsured now have coverage under their parent’s employer-sponsored or individually purchased health plan.
  • Major federal investments to improve quality of care are improving management of chronic diseases that are more prevalent among Latinos.
  • The health care workforce will be more diverse due to a near tripling of the National Health Service Corps. Latino physicians make up about 16 percent of the Corps, a percentage that greatly exceeds their 5 percent share of the national physician workforce.
  • Investments in data collection and research will help us better understand the causes of health care disparities and develop effective programs to eliminate them.
  • Targeted interventions will promote healthy lifestyles, lower health care costs, and reduce health disparities.
  • Increased funding available to the more than 1,100 community health centers will increase the number of patients served. One of every three patients at a health center is Latino.