(Ed: This article provides a useful list of resources as well as link to local informational seminars. Time will prove whether or not the ACA will be able to help community members to obtain affordable insurance, but it is certainly worth the uninsured taking the time to research the options. Many have reported that popular web sites are down to the huge demand with the opening of the program so recently.)
(Source: CH-UH Library Resources)
The Affordable Care Act includes sweeping changes and a number of options in healthcare coverage. Ohio has chosen to use the federal exchange for health insurance. The federal exchange is located online at Healthcare.gov.
The federal exchange will open October 1, 2013. If an individual wishes their health insurance to begin January 1, 2014, they must enroll by mid-December. Open Enrollment will close March 31, 2014.
There are three methods an individual can use to apply for health care insurance: mail, toll-free phone, online at Healthcare.gov, or by calling 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). Assistance is available in multiple languages. For Spanish speaking consumers, CuidadoDeSalud.gov is also available.
Heights Libraries has partnered with the local nonprofit CareSource to provide free informational sessions.
There are also a wide variety of resources available online that provide information about these options, and how to choose what is best for you. Heights Libraries staff can direct patrons to those resources.
Heights Libraries staff are not trained or licensed to provide advice or to assist you in selecting a specific health plan, but can provide information and direction to public resources about the Affordable Care Act that will help you make your own choices.
Read the Affordable Care Act.
Online Resources
The Ohio Department of Insurance’s Frequently Asked Questions section on federal health care reforms
Kaiser Family Foundation’s flowchart for The Requirement to Buy Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act
Kaiser Family Foundation’s video, The YouToons Get Ready for Obamacare: Health Insurance Changes Coming Your Way Under the Affordable Care Act
Consumer Reports free guides to health care reform and Medicare
AARP Health Care Reform Law Fact Sheets
Medline Plus, administered by the US National Institutes of Health, which presents information on medicine and healthcare in easy-to-understand language.
Rural Assistance Center Health Reform Topic Guide
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has Key Features of the Affordable Care Act and fact sheets.
American Public Health Association Health Reform Resources
WebMD’s Health Care Reform: A Guide to Health Insurance and Affordable Care Act
Veterans and the ACA from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
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