By the NORWOOD NEWS 

Vital Stats: 4 million – Number of Americans enrolled in healthcare under the Affordable Care Act.  (Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is slated to take effect April 1, offering folks cheaper healthcare for everyone, including those with pre-existing conditions.

In the Bronx, an estimated 250,000 are uninsured for various reasons, inspiring healthcare firms to launch efforts in enrolling them in insurance. The end result, according to President Obama, will save families from going bankrupt and further a healthier America. 

With healthcare on the minds of many, Montefiore Medical Center has launched on-the-ground awareness campaigns on the new healthcare law, hosting workshops, which in some cases have been in English and Spanish respectively. Workshops are still under way, even happening well past March 15, the deadline when individuals and families are to have signed up for coverage to take effect in April.

Before the law went into effect, states across the country chose whether to create a so-called marketplace, a website where folks can buy insurance that fits their current needs. New York created its own site–www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov. Its help-line toll-free phone number is (855) 355-5777.

In educating the public, Montefiore’s priority has been to offer a clearer look at the role of an exchange, hoping to clarify points to folks still perplexed by the law.  It’s a goal Kate Rose, Montefiore’s senior director for public policy and government relations, intends to achieve each time she schedules a workshop.  That and convincing more Bronxites to sign up. Anecdotally, the the number of Bronxites enrolled under the new healthcare law has been lower when compared to the rest of the state.  “To me, that says there’s potential for a lot of people to get help and they either don’t know how to access it or they need help accessing it,” said Rose, adding the hospital’s efforts to engage the public “really picked up the pace once open enrollment started” in October.

Workshops cover several topics relating to the marketplace, presenting a step-by-step guide in how to navigate the state-sponsored site. A question and answer session is held, including questions on what happens if folks don’t sign up.  The answer is a penalty fee that appears on an individual’s tax return, which varies according to the individual’s yearly income.

One way to avoid a penalty is to apply for an exemption.

It seems fitting for Rose to take the helm in launching an aggressive push to enroll Bronxites into the program. After all, before working at Montefiore, Rose worked in Washington, D.C. to help with the passage of the ACA.  She worked as a healthcare advisor for U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, pegged as one of the lead architects behind the new healthcare law.

Her team’s outreach began in late spring, with a venue that featured Congressman Jose Serrano and New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.  Since then, the hospital’s hosted over two-dozen workshops, serving as how-to guides in navigating the law. One of Montefiore’s more recent workshops, which attracted leaders from the business, civic and religious communities, functioned as a training session, with healthcare experts leading an ad hoc class.

But outside of events, Montefiore still holds informational workshops for folks who can’t make a high-profile event.  The hospital’s hired Certified Applicant Counselors (CAC) to help people fill out the appropriate forms.  CACs are available at all of its main campuses in the Bronx, with office hours that run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And while April 1 is the start of ACA coverage, Rose maintains that more events are in store for those who’ve yet to sign up. This could be advantageous for folks who have Medicaid since they can enroll past the deadline and still be covered.

“It’s estimated that the vast majority of people who are going to get coverage in the Bronx are actually eligible for Medicaid coverage,” said Rose. “So it’s incumbent upon us to help get the word out and make sure that folks know how to be able to see if they’re eligible for that program.”

 

The next open enrollment period begins Nov. 15.