Things To Know: Speier - Health Care Telephone Town Hall Wednesday

October 21, 2013

Dear Friends,

I hope you will join me for a telephone town hall on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm to discuss how health care reform will affect you.

Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act started in the beginning of this month and Californians are very interested in the law that will go into effect on January 1, 2014. In the first two weeks of open enrollment, 1.5 million people visited Covered California, the health insurance marketplace here in California. More than 100,000 people called the toll free number (1-800-300-1506) and more than 94,000 Californians started an application. This is only the beginning of a process that will allow millions of uninsured families and individuals to receive quality health insurance.

Among the many benefits of the law, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions, will have to cover essential health benefits such as preventive care, hospitalization and lab services, and won’t be able to impose lifetime caps. The Affordable Care Act will also give subsidies to individuals with limited income.

Telephone Town Hall
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Sign up here
Representatives from Covered California, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration will be joining me for the call to answer your questions. We will clarify myths that are floating around out there about “Obamacare.” For example, many seniors are afraid that the Affordable Care Act will prohibit them from enrollment into Medicare and force them into the health care marketplace. That is not true. If you are currently on Medicare, you can stay there and don’t have to do anything.

Seniors should also be reminded that Medicare’s Open Enrollment started on October 15th and will run through December 7th. This is your chance to review your health and prescription drug coverage for the coming year. If you have a plan that doesn’t meet your needs, you should look at the different options available to you and select a plan that best fits your health needs and finances.

Another myth: You can’t keep your current insurance and are forced to sign up for the Affordable Care Act. That is not true. If you have insurance and it remains available, you can keep it and aren’t required to do anything. However, you may want to shop in the marketplace and see if there are better options available to you.

If you have any questions or concerns about health care, the telephone town hall is your opportunity to have them answered or raised. Please sign up here. I look forward to speaking to you this Wednesday, October 23, 2013.

All the best,

Jackie