Rep Miller: "ObamaCare is already working"

Posted:  30 Sep 13

On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 4:56 PM, Rep. George Miller <CA11GMima@mail.house.gov> wrote:

Dear Friend,

Did you see what the Contra Costa Times said about the Affordable Care Act this weekend in an editorial?

“In California, Obamacare is already working.”

As you have probably heard, there’s a new, simple online marketplace to shop for health insurance. In California, families who are uninsured or those who are self-insured and paying too much for their premiums can visit www.CoveredCa.com to compare familiar health plans side-by-side, see if they qualify for discounts, and purchase coverage that fits their budget and their lifestyle.

Open enrollment starts October 1^st, no matter if the federal government is open or closed.

This is just the latest in encouraging developments benefiting Californians. But don’t just take my word for it, the Times’ editorial that ran over the weekend -- side-by-side with an opinion piece I authored with State Senator DeSaulnier--declared,

“And so far, it's going better than expected...

“Today, thanks to Obamacare, more than 1 million formerly uninsured Californians have coverage, and 400,000 younger than 26 have protection through their parents' insurance. Californians can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition. Medical costs are dropping and premium costs for the state health insurance exchange, while the 10th highest in the country, are significantly lower than anticipated...

“The nearly four out of five Californians who have health insurance through their employers or through Medicare will not be affected by the Affordable Care Act and do not have to do anything when sign-up begins Tuesday. But the 20 percent who were uninsured should sign up for it and they will see benefits that will, over time, lower health care costs and improve medical outcomes for all.”

Doesn’t sound like we should shut the government down over something as helpful to everyday Californians as this, does it?

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act and how it affects you, or to get covered, visit my website or go to www.CoveredCA.com today.

  Sincerely,

GEORGE MILLER
Member of Congress
GeorgeMiller.house.gov

   

 

"OBAMACARE" OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES (Starts: 10/1/13 /TUE)

Posted:  1 Oct 13

1.  Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to try to make it easier for fellow citizens to find answers to their questions about the new "Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)" -- and, indeed, to help them know more of the questions they should be asking.  

Specifically:

• The Health Insurance Marketplaces open October 1, allowing people to compare health plans, get questions answered, and enroll in plans for coverage that will begin in 2014.
• The websites, provided here, are portals into a wealth of easy, practical information to help simplify your personal investigations -- and will lead you as deeply into the matter as you're likely to need.

2.  Links You're Going to Like

2.1  VIDEO ~~ A BONUS FIND!  A PERFECT STARTING POINT! Health Reform Explained Video: "Health Reform Hits Main Street"  

Here is a great, animated video produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). 

• Less than 10 minutes long, this fine presentation takes us through a wonderful, clear, and vivid explanation of what this law is all about.
• It reveals enough of the why's, when's, how's, and wherefore's to deepen understanding.
• Instead of your trying to examine the thousands of puzzle pieces, one at a time, this gives you a "picture of the completed puzzle" -- just like viewing the box containing those pieces -- and a great place to start.  (Actually, we're still in the early stages of this profound new law, national experiments have to be conducted, and time will have to unroll more surprises -- before we'll fully know what the puzzle is to finally look like.)

2.2  AARP HEALTH LAW ANSWERS (http://healthlawanswers.aarp.org/) -- Learn how the health care law affects you and your families. Answer a few questions to receive a personally customized report. (You don't have to be an AARP member to use this service)


On the landing page, you will also see links to:

• FAQs
• Fact sheet
• Tools
• Health Law Facts and 
• Timelines.

2.3  COVERED CALIFORNIA (https://www.coveredca.com/)-- "Your destination for affordable health care" in California.


2.4   STATE BY STATE (HHS.gov/HealthCare) -- An excellent portal for access to pertinent information, throughout the nation.  ("Health reform is already making a difference.")  

Learn more about how the Affordable Care act is improving healthcare. Click on the map at this link to learn how the Affordable Care Act is helping people in your State."

2.5.  FACT SHEETS (http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/factsheets/index.html) -- Click here to see specialized information on the government site.

3.  An Observation and a Thank You

We are privileged to be witnessing (and participating in) one of those special moments in the life of the nation -- where it re-engineers itself -- IN A VERY BIG WAY -- to meet the changing times -- and to prevail over them.  Life is going to get better for a whole lot more people.

Special thanks to my Facebook buddy, William Wetzel, for inspiring this bulletin and for giving my own investigation a great and helpful headstart. 



Hope this helps,
David Nelson


All Original Content © 2013 , The MENTOR Enterprises / ELMS, All Rights Reserved -- BUT, I hereby waive those rights, to this extent: You may freely copy and pass this along, if you think it will do some good -- as long as it's free of charge, unchanged, and you include this statement.

"OBAMACARE!" WHAT'S AT URGENT STAKE? From Congressman George Miller

Posted:  18 Aug 13

On Sun, Aug 18, 2013 at 12:39 PM, Rep. George Miller <CA11GMima@mail.house.gov> wrote:

Dear Friend,

Have you ever wondered what would actually happen if Congress repealed the Affordable Care Act, the historic health law sometimes referred to as Obamacare?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, here's what's at stake for East Bay families if Republicans in Congress succeeded in their effort to repeal the law:

1. 6.6 Million Young Adults Lose Coverage Through Parents' Plans: 6.6 million young adults, including 3.1 million who were previously uninsured, would lose the option of staying on their parents' health plans if the health care law were repealed.
2. 129 Million Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Lose Security: Up to 129 million Americans, including 17 million children, would lose the security of knowing they cannot be denied coverage or charged more due to a pre-existing condition, like cancer or even asthma, starting in 2014.
3. 34.1 Million People with Medicare Pay More for Preventative Care: 34.1 million seniors and people with disabilities would pay more for preventative care like mammograms and colonoscopies.
4. 105 Million Americans Could Face Lifetime Limits on Health Insurance Again: Insurance companies would be allowed to return to their practice of lifetime dollar limits on your care. 

But that's not all. For a complete list of the serious consequences from repealing this important law, visit my website here.

• And most importantly, I want to hear from you: tell me how this law has already helped you or your family.
• And click here to see how it's already helping families in Contra Costa County.

Thank you,

GEORGE MILLER
Member of Congress
GeorgeMiller.house.gov