March 28, 2014 Edition
In this issue, you will find…
Dear Partners:
Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.
We are in the final days of open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace with 3 days left to apply. It is not too late to enroll in quality, affordable health insurance if you apply by midnight Eastern time on Monday, March 31st. You can apply by doing the following:
Go to HealthCare.gov, create an account, find out if you are eligible for cost savings and enroll in a plan that meets your needs;
Call 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Assistance is available in English, Spanish and 150 other languages;
Find help in your community by going to Localhelp.HealthCare.gov.
You have until Monday (March 31st) to join the now 6 million Americans and countingwho have signed up for affordable coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace. But the clock is ticking, so you’ll want to act now.
If you don’t sign up by midnight on Monday (Eastern Time), you’ll have to wait until November to enroll, and your coverage won’t begin until next year.
You may be surprised to learn just how affordable coverage can be. You might even find out that you’re eligible for a lower cost premium. Across the country, 6 out of 10 uninsured Americans can get covered for $100 per month or even less – some a lot less. For example, a Dallas family of four earning $50,000/year can get covered for as little as $26 per month. And half of single young adults who are uninsured can get covered for $50/month or less.
We’re seeing a nationwide consumer surge in demand for Marketplace coverage, with near record clicks and calls. On one day alone, we had 1.5 million visits to HealthCare.gov and we took more than 430,000 calls at our 24/7 call center.
Our call center is ready with as many as 14,000 customer service representatives across 17 sites, including 800 who speak Spanish. (The call center also has a queuing mechanism – if wait times get to be too long, we will offer consumers the convenient option to skip the wait and leave their contact information so we can get back to them and help them enroll.)
Signing up is easy: HealthCare.gov and the Spanish-language CuidadoDeSalud.gov are working. In-person assistance is available in your own community (to find it, simply visitlocalhelp.healthcare.gov and punch in your zip code). And you can call 1-800-318-2596, any time, any hour, and in any of more than 150 languages.
The Affordable Care Act is working: In addition to more than six million Americans who have signed up for private insurance through that Marketplace, millions of Americans have gotten covered through Medicaid and CHIP, and more than 3 million young adults have gotten covered because the health care law allows them to stay on their parents’ plan until their 26th birthday.
Before the Affordable Care Act, hardworking families had few real options. But today is a new day. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there is choice and competition, and once you enroll nobody can take your coverage away from you just because you get sick. What’s more, by law, insurance companies now have to cover health services like doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, hospital stays, and ambulatory care. Preventive care like cancer and cholesterol screenings are covered with no additional money out of your pocket. And being a woman is no longer a preexisting condition.
If you’re in the system by midnight on Monday, March 31st, we will make sure you get covered – but you have to get in line before the deadline. Just like Election Day, if you are in line when the polls close you get to vote – but if you’re not in line, you have to wait until next year.
Don’t delay; sign up today!
Thank you to the many faith-based and community leaders who told their neighbors and friends about the health care law and showed them how to enroll.
Sincerely,
Acacia Bamberg Salatti, Acting Director
Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Featured Update: Six Million and Counting!
By Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
As this historic open enrollment period enters its final days, more than 6 million Americans have signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces since October 1, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Those looking to get covered before the March 31st deadline still have time by visiting HealthCare.gov or by phone at 1-800-318-2596/TTY 1-855-889-4325. You can also find help in your community at localhelp.healthcare.gov.
Many of these more than 6 million Americans are sharing their stories of finding a new way to get quality, affordable health coverage through the Federal and State-based Marketplaces.
A nonprofit worker from New Jersey, a theater artist from Chicago, IL, and an opera singer from Austin, TX are all among the millions of Americans now enjoying the peace of mind and security that comes with quality, affordable health coverage. You can find their stories and more here on HHS.gov.
Consumers like these are coming in near record numbers to check out their options for affordable health coverage at HealthCare.gov or seeking help from a trained assister in person or via our 24/7 call center. We are seeing near record numbers of consumers coming to check out their options and enroll in coverage. Yesterday alone, we had 1.5 million visits to HealthCare.gov and took more than 430,000 calls at our 24/7 call center.
With 3 days left for consumers to sign up for coverage, we are working hard to ensure that our systems can handle the unprecedented demand as people enroll before the March 31st deadline.
Millions of Americans have gotten health coverage through the Marketplace in the last five months. And there is still time left for you to join them. But you need to act now. The deadline to enroll for coverage this year is Monday, March 31st.
This article was originally posted to www.hhs.gov/healthcare on March 27, 2014.
If You Are In Line by March 31, We Will Not Close The Door
The deadline for open enrollment is March 31st. As the Administration said previously, those consumers who are in line by the March 31st deadline to complete enrollment, we will make sure you get covered. Just like Election Day, if you are in line when the polls close, you get to vote. We won’t close the door on those who tried to get covered and were unable to do so through no fault of their own. So, those who were in line or had technical problems with the website can quickly come back and sign up as soon as possible. Click here for additional details. For a fact sheet for consumers on Special Enrollment Periods for Complex Cases in the Health Insurance Marketplace,click here.
Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is clarifying that under limited circumstances, people with complex cases may qualify for a special enrollment period. These include, for example, victims of domestic abuse and consumers who were found ineligible for Medicaid, but whose accounts were not transferred to the Marketplace in a timely way before March 31st. These special cases are for specific situations where a consumer was not able to successfully complete enrollment during the open enrollment period despite their efforts to do so and through no fault of their own. Click here for additional details.
End of Open Enrollment Remains March 31
Facts about the End of Enrollment:
- The end of enrollment is just days away and consumers are calling the call centers, and coming to HealthCare.gov at record rates.
- March 31st is the end of open enrollment, the deadline to get covered isn’t changing.
- If people are still trying to get signed up on the 31st, we will make sure they get covered.Just like Election Day, if you are in line when the polls closed, you get to vote.
People in Line
- Right now we are seeing a surge in consumers coming to the site and calling call centers.
- Consumers should know now if they are still trying to get signed up on the 31st, we will make sure they get covered.
- This will be just like Election Day: if you are in line when the polls closed you get to vote.
- Note on self-attestation: Similar to what we did in December, consumers will attest that they tried to enroll by the deadline as part of their application process.
Complex Cases and Errors
- Those who were in line or had technical problems with the website should quickly come back and sign up as soon as possible.
- If consumers had a complex case, for example victims of domestic violence who don’t want to file jointly, we will make sure we work through those cases.
- The law has built-in systems to help those with complex cases
For More Information
Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) Coverage Ends April 30, 2014
If you have PCIP coverage, you’re eligible for this extension if you don’t have new coverage that will be effective April 1st. You will receive a letter by mail about this option to extend your PCIP plan through the end of April, along with details about cost-sharing. You must act quickly to find other coverage through the Marketplace. There’s still time to avoid a gap in your coverage by picking a new health plan that’s effective May 1st.
This transitional coverage through April 30th, 2014 gives you more time to review your options and enroll in new coverage. Health insurance companies can no longer deny you coverage or charge you more because of your health condition. This means you now have more choices for health coverage.
All plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace cover essential health benefits and pre-existing health conditions. You may be able to get lower costs on coverage based on your income. You can get coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace, individual market, through your employer, or from public programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Act soon, there is no automatic transition from PCIP to other health insurance plans.
Let's Move Faith and Communities Webinar
on Media-Smart Youth
Join Let’s Move Faith and Communities on Wednesday, April 2nd from 1-3 p.m. ET for a webinar training that will equip health leaders to run Media-Smart Youth®: Eat, Think and Be Active! To register for the webinar, click here.
Media-Smart Youth is an after-school program that uses nutrition and physical activity examples to help young people ages 11 to 13 understand how media influences the choices they make and to help youth build media analysis and production skills. It is part of the National Institutes of Health’s We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) program, a science-based national education program that provides parents, caregivers and communities with the strategies and skills they need to help families improve food choices, increase physical activity, and reduce screen time.
For more information on Let's Move Faith and Communities and We Can!, please visit thePartnership Center’s website.
Grant Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Grants Forecast is a database of planned grant opportunities proposed by its agencies. Each Forecast record contains actual or estimated dates and funding levels for grants that the agency intends to award during the fiscal year. Forecast opportunities are subject to change based on enactment of congressional appropriations.
When funding is available and an agency is ready to accept applications, the agency will issue an official notice, known as a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which will be available on how to apply.
As always, the final section of our newsletter includes an updated grants listing that faith-based and community non-profits can pursue. All of these grant programs are competitive. It is important to review the funding announcement thoroughly to ensure that the grant opportunity is one that is appropriate to your organization’s mission, size, and scope.
Grants Information
Title: Announcement of Availability of Funds for Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Research and Demonstration Programs (Tier 3) and Community Collaborative Academy
Description: The purpose of this announcement is to work with communities with high teen pregnancy rates to develop innovative strategies for preventing teen pregnancy in populations/areas with demonstrated need. These could include high-risk, vulnerable, and culturally under-represented youth populations, and/or youth residing in areas with high birth or teen pregnancy rates. The successful applicant is expected to bring together a team in each selected community made up of representatives from various sectors to develop a strategy or prevention framework to address teen pregnancy prevention in their individual community.
Link to Full Announcement: Link to Full Announcement
Last day to apply: April 24, 2014
Grant administered by the: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Title: Assets for Independence Demonstration Program
Description: The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that competing applications will be accepted for grants to administer projects for the national Assets for Independence (AFI) of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). The projects will provide IDAs and related services to individuals and families with low incomes.
A primary feature of each AFI project is that participants save earned income in an IDA to purchase a home, capitalize or expand a business for self-employment, or attend postsecondary education or training. Projects also ensure that participants have access to financial education training and coaching, including family budgeting, debt and credit counseling, using mainstream financial products, and accessing refundable tax credits. As a condition of their federal AFI grant, grantees must provide non-federal funds to support their AFI project in an amount at least equal to the Federal AFI grant amount.
Link to Full Announcement: Link to Full Announcement
Last day to Apply: May 7, 2014 and July 14, 2014
Grant administered by the: Administration for Children and Families
Title: Academic-Community Partnership Conference Series
Description: The purpose of this grant opportunity is to bring together academic institutions/organizations and community organizations to identify opportunities for addressing health disparities through the use of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). The objectives of meetings conducted as part of this award will be to: (1) establish and/or enhance academic-community partnerships; (2) identify community-driven research priorities, and (3) develop long-term collaborative CBPR research agendas.
Link to Full Announcement: Link to Full Announcement
Last day to Apply: October 17, 2014
Grant administered by the: National Institutes of Health
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