Markeshia Ricks Photo
Access CT’s Carmen Camancho with Congresswoman Rosa Delauro and Marisol and Pedro Garcia at City Hall.
Open enrollment in a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) starts Thursday, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is reminding Nutmeggers to get it while the gettin’ is good.
She brought that message to City Hall Wednesday in the face of the Trump administration’s decision this summer to stop defending the provision that mandates that individuals obtain insurance coverage and that insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions.
In an effort to further weaken the ACA (aka “Obamacare”), the enrollment period has been shortened from about three months to six weeks, and the advertising budget to promote open enrollment slashed from $100 million to $10 million.
DeLauro said that casting a vote in favor of ACA was one of her proudest moments in Congress. She said the program has been a success particularly for those who have pre-existing conditions and were routinely denied access to insurance or charged exorbitant rates in the past. Medical bills were the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. prior to the passage of the ACA, she said.
A lawsuit filed in Texas seeks to nullify the provisions of the ACA. If it is successful it will impact people with pre-existing conditions, women, and older adults. DeLauro noted that people who receive health insurance through their employers also won’t be safe as insurance companies will once again have the ability to discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions and to flat out deny coverage to people in “higher risk occupations,” or significantly raise their premiums.
DeLauro.
“As many as 3,100 law enforcement officers, 2,700 security guards, and 2,000 construction workers employed in the district who currently purchase health insurance through the individual market may lose federal protections against coverage denials or premium increases as a result of the administration’s actions,” she said.
She called on the administration to “stop attacking those with pre-existing conditions, stop attacking the ACA, and stop attacking the 168,000 people with pre-existing conditions in Connecticut.”
Suzanne Lagarde, CEO of Fair Haven Community Health Care, said that her clinic serves some 19,000 predominately low-income people, many of whom have access to health insurance because of the ACA. She said there is no doubt that that coverage and access to care are in danger because of the actions of the current administration. Sshe urged those who are eligible under ACA to sign up through AccessHealthCT before open enrollment closes Dec. 15. She also encouraged people to get to the polls next Tuesday and be part of electing people who will fight to preserve the protections provided by the ACA.
Mayor Toni Harp said that because of the ACA people have better access to health insurance, which has translated to improved access to health care. Prevention and regular maintenance, she said, is the most effective way to take care of almost anything including one’s health.
Harp.
“Early diagnosis of a problem saves money over the long term,” she said.
Marisol and Pedro Garcia know that better than most. Last November, Pedro, 54, who worked in construction, complained of feeling dizzy. Marisol, his 47-year-old wife, rushed him to a medical center in North Haven. They sent him to the emergency room at Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus.
The couple didn’t have insurance. But they called Fair Haven Health Care, where they met Carmen Camacho, a certified application counselor for AccessHealthCT. Not only did she help them get insured, but the insurance ultimately covered Pedro’s trip to the hospital retroactively.
Pedro can no longer work construction. Because of their insurance he can see his cardiologist every three months and get his medications.
“This could happen to anyone,” Marisol said. “Today it was me; tomorrow it could be someone else. “
Click on the Facebook Live video below to catch the press conference at City Hall.
Saw on WTNH morning news that the cost of premiums are going down. Interesting, does the fact that in 2019 you won't be penalized made the insurance companies lower the price, The biggest problem with ACA is the high deductable and monthly payment. Sure there where some "free" things but the up front costs and fear of out of network charges kept people from using the plan.