Family to Family: March 2014

Institute for Disability Studies

Family Health Notes

Special Edition – March 10, 2014

Fifty years ago, the Surgeon General of the United States reported that smoking causes illness and death. On March 20, the Family to Family Health and Information Center (F2F) will present the webinar, “Smoking is Bad, Okay?” This hour-long webinar will present general facts about smoking and provide an overview of changes in smoking habits that have occurred in the 50 years since the Surgeon General’s report. Protect your family’s health by attending this informative webinar.

“Smoking is Bad, Okay?

Recorded on Thursday, March 20

For more information, contact Jackie Washington, F2F Parent Liaison at jwashington@ihl.state.ms.us or toll-free at 1.866.883.4474.

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Family Health Notes is sponsored by the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at The University of Southern Mississippi. IDS provides university training, community service activities, research and information that promote the independence, productivity, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. For more information about IDS, visit www.usm/edu/ids or call 1.888.671.0051 (TTY). To make a tax-deductible gift to IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids/supportus.html.

The Family-to-Family Health Information and Education Center (F2F) is a family-focused, family managed resource center that empowers families of Mississippi children with special health care needs to be partners in the decisions made concerning the health of their children. F2F is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (GR#H84MC07948).

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Institute for Disability Studies

Family Health Notes

Affordable Care Act Special Edition - March 5, 2014

The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) was established to extend health insurance coverage to many of the 47 million nonelderly uninsured Americans. This number includes 454,000 uninsured Mississippians according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. State marketplace statistics for Mississippi show that as of Feb. 1, 2014, a total of 51,953 people had been determined eligible to enroll in a marketplace plan. Of this number, 25,638 were eligible to receive financial assistance, 6,887 were determined eligible for Medicaid, and 17,350 have selected a marketplace plan.

The Health Insurance Marketplace helps uninsured people find health coverage. On March 31, 2014, the open enrollment period for 2014 for purchasing health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace will end. If you want coverage that will start as early as April 1, 2014, you must complete your application and enroll in the plan by March 15, 2014. Most people must have health insurance coverage in 2014 or pay a penalty on their 2015 income taxes. The penalty will be 1% of their income or $95 per adult and $47.50 per child, whichever is higher.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, a family of four in Mississippi could pay as little as $28 per month for health coverage. A 27-year-old could pay as little as $75 per month. To enroll, visit www.healthcare.gov. You can see plans and prices available in Mississippi based on income and household size before completing an application by using an online tool available on the website.

Here are some helpful resources if you haven’t enrolled your family and are still confused:

Enroll America

Enroll America has issued a basic guide about the ACA and insurance terms which can be found at www.enrollamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/GetCoveredGuide.pdf

How to Get Financial Help to Pay for Insurance

A recent study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) found that more than 8 and 10 of the uninsured would be likely to enroll if they received financial help to pay for health insurance. In response, RWJF launched FinancialHelpforHealth.org - a website that raises awareness of financial help and sends consumers to the marketplace in their state to get them enrolled. The site features testimonial videos of real people who have received financial help, a tool that explains the tax credit and how to use it, and snapshots of real people who are saving on health insurance plans because of financial help.

Especially for immigrant and Spanish-speaking families

Reassurance from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Secretary: Jeh Johnson posted an op-ed aimed at Spanish-speaking immigrant families titled "Setting the Record Straight on Immigrant Families and the Affordable Care Act" in the Spanish-language publication La Opinion. It can be found at http://www.laopinion.com/opinion-columna-dejando-las-cosas-claras.

The American Cancer Society has developed a Spanish-language ACA consumer guide: Ley de Atencion Medica: Como esta ley puede ayudar a las personas con cancer y a sus familias.

Enroll America has issued a basic guide about the ACA and insurance terms which can be found in Spanish at http://www.enrollamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/GetCoveredGuide_SPANISH.pdf.

Materials for Enrollment Assisters:
- The National Immigration Law Center recently presented a webinar on the ACA and Immigrant Families. The slides are available at http://www.nilc.org/document.html?id=1060.