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April 15 , 2010
 Now that the health insurance reform bill has been signed into law, the question every American is asking is what effect will it have on me?
Well, the good news is this historical reform means the health and health care of all Americans will be improved. Every American will now have access to affordable, quality care.
Specifically, this law will:
- Cover the uninsured;
- Improve the quality, value and equality of health care;
- Bring down spending;
- Prevent disease and promote healthier lifestyle
- Strengthen public health; and
- Address the root social, economic, cultural and individual behavioral factors that affect health as much as bacteria and disease.
Each element is but one piece in solving the larger health care puzzle. And these recent events don’t provide all the answers. The staggering rates of childhood obesity, the broken systems of health care and public health that still need re-building―problems of this magnitude do not vanish with a President’s single signature.
Although details of the delivery system are still being worked out, the mere fact that this historical and monumental first step has finally been taken is a giant step for our nation.
Regardless of how the new health care system plays out in the coming weeks, let me assure you that Northeast Community Clinics will be a significant and integral part of that system in the greater Los Angeles region because:
- NECC is prepared;
- NECC has the infrastructure in place to assist individuals applying for insurance;
- NECC’s quality of care will remain our priority;
- NECC will continue to expand each clinic’s level of services and increase the access to care we offer our patients.
New health insurance legislation will mean more opportunities for Americans to get health care. But taking a long view on how things like better education and the income that often accompanies it affect our health will make us healthier and wealthier.
Many things can cause poor health but poverty shouldn’t be one of them.
Or you can send a check to:
Development Dept.
Northeast Community Clinics
2550 W. Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
Be Well,
-Christopher Lau, MD
NECC Executive Director/CEO
The yearlong, often ugly journey toward health care reform reached an historic milestone recently, with the House approving legislation that would extend coverage to 32 million more Americans and impose new restrictions on the insurance industry.
Here are answers to some frequent questions about what reform will mean to consumers:
Starting this year, children up to age 26 would be allowed to remain on their parents' health plan. People with pre-existing medical conditions would be eligible for a new federally funded "high-risk" insurance program. Small businesses could qualify for tax credits of up to 35% of the cost of premiums. Insurance plans would be barred from setting lifetime caps on coverage and would no longer be able to cancel policies when a patient gets sick. Health plans would also be prohibited from excluding pre-existing conditions from coverage for children.
In 2014. That’s when insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, would be set up in states to offer competitive pricing on health policies for individuals and small businesses that don’t have coverage. People with a pre-existing condition would no longer be denied coverage, and all lifetime and annual limits on coverage would be eliminated. Medicaid would be expanded to cover more low-income Americans.
What are the requirements for individuals to buy insurance?
Starting in 2014, a person who did not obtain coverage would pay a penalty of $95 or 1% of income, whichever is greater. That penalty would rise to $695 or 2.5% of income by 2016. The bill would exempt the lowest-income people from that insurance requirement.
Medicaid would be expanded to cover those under age 65 with an income of up to 133% of the federal poverty level (below $29, 327 for a family of four).
To make coverage more affordable, the legislation would offer premium subsidies for people with incomes more than 133% but less than 400% of the federal poverty level ($29,327 to $88, 200 for a family of four).
In addition, people in their 20s would have the option to buy a lower-cost "catastrophic" health plan.
Employers with 50 or more workers would face fines for not providing insurance coverage. Businesses with smaller workforces, though, would be exempt. Companies would get tax credits to help buy insurance if they have 25 or fewer employees and a workforce with an average wage of up to $50,000.
Large employers would run their health plans as they do now, so there won’t be much change. Even though they have more insurance-buying clout, large businesses have seen steadily rising insurance premiums over the past decade without reform, as medical costs have increased. That pattern isn’t likely to change much, at least immediately.
Seniors will get immediate help on the "doughnut hole" - a gap in their coverage for prescription drugs. This year, those reaching that hole would get $250 to help pay their drug costs. Next year, they would receive a 50% discount on the cost of brand-name drugs in the doughnut hole. Meanwhile, preventive screenings would be free to beneficiaries beginning this year.
But federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans would be cut substantially, starting in 2011. So seniors in those plans may lose some extra benefits, such as free eyeglasses.
Individuals and families with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level (below $29,327 for a family of four) will gain coverage. The federal government will pay all the states’ costs for the newly eligible Medicaid beneficiaries for three years. And primary-care doctors treating Medicaid patients will get an increase in their fees.
Many health care experts say that while it contains some cost-cutting provisions and pilot programs, the legislation doesn’t go far enough to tame rising costs. People with chronic medical problems, though, generally would see their premiums decrease because of the new ban on pre-existing condition discrimination.
Wealthier families will pay more in taxes. Starting in 2013, families with annual incomes above $250,000 (and individuals earning more than $200,000) would pay an additional 3.8% tax on investment income, and also face a higher Medicare payroll tax. Expensive, "Cadillac" insurance plans would draw a new tax starting in 2018. And the Medicare program would receive substantial cuts, including a $132 billion reduction in funding for Advantage plans run by private insurers.
A new, voluntary long-term care benefit would help people who become disabled. Indoor tanning sessions will face a new tax. And the bill requires chain restaurants with 20 or more outlets to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards.
The 13th Annual Community Health Resource & Book Fair was held on 20th Street in downtown Los Angeles again this year, with NECC enrollers working the crowd. Here we see Jose Ascencion Pichardo and Evelyn Ramirez pointing out qualifications for various health care programs to interested passersby.
Angie Armada DelaCruz, NECC Director of Operations, (left) welcomes two Kaiser Permanente Downey representatives, Sheri Bathurst, (in orange), Senior Community Benefits Specialist, and Carmen Gonzalez, (with scarf), Public Affairs Representative, along with Sandy Wooten, Clinic Manager for Community Medical Alliance in Bell.
Elizabeth Learning Center Health Fair
The Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy was site for another health fair sponsored by Assembly Member Hector De La Torre from Spa 7 (pictured with Sandy Wooten, Community Medical Alliance in Bell (left) and enroller Cristal Zuniga on the far right.
Northeast Community Clinics was at the health fair all day providing blood pressure and blood sugar readings as well as enrolling new patients.
Northeast Community Clinics was at the health fair all day providing blood pressure and blood sugar readings as well as enrolling new patients.
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