manchester enterprise
newsSunday, October 13, 2013
MANCHESTER: Driskell says mandatory health insurance for all will lower costsBy Kody Klein
kklein@heritage.com
Twitter: @kodyjonkleinLocal legislator Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline) stopped by the Ackerson Building on Monday to co-host an informational session about the imminent changes to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. The event was put on by the Manchester Community Resource Center and featured presentations by special guests Leah Hatch-Vallier, health policy analyst at the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation, Carrie Rheingans, project manager for the CHRT Washtenaw Health Initiative, and Ellen Rabinowitz, Executive director of the Washtenaw Health Plan. The speakers explained that the law is incremental and will eventually mandate that almost all people in the country have health insurance. It includes a bundle of regulations designed to reform the healthcare industry and increase access to health insurance. For example, insurers will no longer be allowed to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions. The law has healthcare subsidies that are scaled to the income of people who are classed at 400 percent of the federal poverty level or lower. As a result, an individual living on as a little as $15,900 per year will only pay $39 per month for insurance and someone living on $46,000 per year will only pay $202 per month. The subsidies are scaled similarly for families: a family living on $32,500 per year will pay $81 per month for insurance and a family living on $94,200 per year will only pay $731 per month. The subsidies are not extended to any individual who lives on more than $46,000 per year or any family who lives on more than $94,200 per year. The law is mandatory and anyone who decides to abstain from participating will be subjected to a "Shared Responsibility Payment," except under mitigating circumstances. The fine will be installed incrementally between 2014 and 2016. The government will fine an individual who abstains from the law $95 in 2014, $325 in 2015 and $695 in 2016. According to the presentation by Hatch-Vallier and Rheingans, there are hundreds of uninsured people living in Michigan. Although each of the speakers acknowledged that the ACA will increase healthcare costs, Driskell stressed that having uninsured people costs society money. She said she thinks mandatory insurance will eventually lower the costs of healthcare, because in general, people will be healthier. "What we're trying to do is share the risk across all people," she said. Driskell also stressed that the bill's focus on preventative care will further incentivize people to lead healthier lives. "It'll help lower the risk, because people will get less sick." While some have taken issue with the coercive nature of the law, Driskell said the law is very similar to other laws in existence. "We have to have car insurance. We all have to be covered," she said. "It's the same idea." Laura Seyfried, director of the MCRC, said she thought the event went well. "I think it accomplished our goal of informing people who came," she said. Open enrollment in the ACA's Health Care Marketplace began Oct. 1. Many people have had trouble applying for insurance through the government's website and even the CHRT speakers admitted they'd had difficulty doing so. Seyfried said anyone in the Manchester community who needs help navigating the website can come to the MCRC for help on the third Tuesday afternoon of every month. An AmeriCorp representative trained as an ACA "community navigator" will be available to help with the application process. The MCRC is located on the far east side of the Ackerson Building at 410 City Road. More information can be found by calling 734-428-7722 or visiting http://manchestercrc.org/. Kody Klein is a multimedia journalist for Heritage Media. You may contact him at kklein@heritage.com.
kklein@heritage.com
Twitter: @kodyjonkleinLocal legislator Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline) stopped by the Ackerson Building on Monday to co-host an informational session about the imminent changes to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. The event was put on by the Manchester Community Resource Center and featured presentations by special guests Leah Hatch-Vallier, health policy analyst at the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation, Carrie Rheingans, project manager for the CHRT Washtenaw Health Initiative, and Ellen Rabinowitz, Executive director of the Washtenaw Health Plan. The speakers explained that the law is incremental and will eventually mandate that almost all people in the country have health insurance. It includes a bundle of regulations designed to reform the healthcare industry and increase access to health insurance. For example, insurers will no longer be allowed to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions. The law has healthcare subsidies that are scaled to the income of people who are classed at 400 percent of the federal poverty level or lower. As a result, an individual living on as a little as $15,900 per year will only pay $39 per month for insurance and someone living on $46,000 per year will only pay $202 per month. The subsidies are scaled similarly for families: a family living on $32,500 per year will pay $81 per month for insurance and a family living on $94,200 per year will only pay $731 per month. The subsidies are not extended to any individual who lives on more than $46,000 per year or any family who lives on more than $94,200 per year. The law is mandatory and anyone who decides to abstain from participating will be subjected to a "Shared Responsibility Payment," except under mitigating circumstances. The fine will be installed incrementally between 2014 and 2016. The government will fine an individual who abstains from the law $95 in 2014, $325 in 2015 and $695 in 2016. According to the presentation by Hatch-Vallier and Rheingans, there are hundreds of uninsured people living in Michigan. Although each of the speakers acknowledged that the ACA will increase healthcare costs, Driskell stressed that having uninsured people costs society money. She said she thinks mandatory insurance will eventually lower the costs of healthcare, because in general, people will be healthier. "What we're trying to do is share the risk across all people," she said. Driskell also stressed that the bill's focus on preventative care will further incentivize people to lead healthier lives. "It'll help lower the risk, because people will get less sick." While some have taken issue with the coercive nature of the law, Driskell said the law is very similar to other laws in existence. "We have to have car insurance. We all have to be covered," she said. "It's the same idea." Laura Seyfried, director of the MCRC, said she thought the event went well. "I think it accomplished our goal of informing people who came," she said. Open enrollment in the ACA's Health Care Marketplace began Oct. 1. Many people have had trouble applying for insurance through the government's website and even the CHRT speakers admitted they'd had difficulty doing so. Seyfried said anyone in the Manchester community who needs help navigating the website can come to the MCRC for help on the third Tuesday afternoon of every month. An AmeriCorp representative trained as an ACA "community navigator" will be available to help with the application process. The MCRC is located on the far east side of the Ackerson Building at 410 City Road. More information can be found by calling 734-428-7722 or visiting http://manchestercrc.org/. Kody Klein is a multimedia journalist for Heritage Media. You may contact him at kklein@heritage.com.