Health Care initiatives in the world of the unemployed

Looks like some of these Senators have finally begun to read the bill.................


http://frontpagemag.com/2012/arnold-ahlert/dem-senators-plead-for-delay-in-obamacare-taxes/

Source: Fla Business News 12-29-12

The Agency for Health Care Administration has implemented a provision of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will boost Florida Medicaid primary care doctor’s reimbursement rates to the level they pay Medicare providers. The federal government is paying for the increase for the next two years.

Fla Today Jan 19. 2013

QUESTION:State lawmakers met in Tallahassee this week to discuss how Florida will implement the federal Affordable Care Act. The week before, Gov. Rick Scott was in Washington to discuss the details with federal officials. Explain what the state is planning to do, how much it will cost and how it will affect the wallets of average Floridians.

FISHKIND: There are two issues. One, whether the state sets up its own health care exchange. And the second is whether the state expands Medicaid enrollment. And those are two different things. If the state fails to establish its own health care exchange, the federal government will do that, it wouldn’t cost the state anything. The state could have more control, but it doesn’t cost the state anything.
The real issue is whether Florida expands Medicaid. The federal government will offer the states upward of 90 percent of the ongoing costs, and in the initial years 100 percent of the cost, to expand Medicaid. Some states have chosen to take the federal government up on that offer, others have not.
Q:Either way the state goes on these two matters, it’s going to cost the Florida residents some money.
FISHKIND: There’s no doubt about that, but there would be significant added benefits.
Q:Such as?
FISHKIND: For each dollar that the state spends on a steady basis, the federal government’s going to contribute $9. So this would cause a huge increase in health care expenditures. It would create far better health care in the state. It would reduce the load of indigent health care under the current system, which would be a significant cost savings, and it would create a substantial amount of new jobs.
Q:Now, what I think a lot of people are wondering as this program is phased in over the next couple of years is, what is it going to be like and how much is it going to cost for me? Now, suppose I’m either someone who is unemployed or I work for — as many people do in Central Florida — for the tourism and hospitality industry, and my employer is not offering health coverage. What will the process look like and how much is it going to cost?


QUESTION:State lawmakers met in Tallahassee this week to discuss how Florida will implement the federal Affordable Care Act. The week before, Gov. Rick Scott was in Washington to discuss the details with federal officials. Explain what the state is planning to do, how much it will cost and how it will affect the wallets of average Floridians.
FISHKIND: There are two issues. One, whether the state sets up its own health care exchange. And the second is whether the state expands Medicaid enrollment. And those are two different things. If the state fails to establish its own health care exchange, the federal government will do that, it wouldn’t cost the state anything. The state could have more control, but it doesn’t cost the state anything.
The real issue is whether Florida expands Medicaid. The federal government will offer the states upward of 90 percent of the ongoing costs, and in the initial years 100 percent of the cost, to expand Medicaid. Some states have chosen to take the federal government up on that offer, others have not.
Q:Either way the state goes on these two matters, it’s going to cost the Florida residents some money.
FISHKIND: There’s no doubt about that, but there would be significant added benefits.
Q:Such as?
FISHKIND: For each dollar that the state spends on a steady basis, the federal government’s going to contribute $9. So this would cause a huge increase in health care expenditures. It would create far better health care in the state. It would reduce the load of indigent health care under the current system, which would be a significant cost savings, and it would create a substantial amount of new jobs.
Q:Now, what I think a lot of people are wondering as this program is phased in over the next couple of years is, what is it going to be like and how much is it going to cost for me? Now, suppose I’m either someone who is unemployed or I work for — as many people do in Central Florida — for the tourism and hospitality industry, and my employer is not offering health coverage. What will the process look like and how much is it going to cost?

(Page 2 of 2)


FISHKIND: It kind of depends upon what the state does. So assume that Florida does not expand Medicaid and does not open its own health care exchange, then those who are working can get their health care insurance from the new health care exchanges run by the federal government and that policy would be subsided depending upon their income. Those who aren’t working probably cannot afford even the policies under the health care exchanges (and) they wouldn’t be covered under Medicaid, so their condition probably wouldn’t change much. By contrast, if the state expands Medicaid enrollment, then many people who would not be able to get their health insurance from the exchanges, would be covered by the expansion in Medicaid .

Q:Some employers are still saying that implementation of so-called Obamacare is going to cost them millions of dollars to implement. They say they can’t afford it and say that they are going to have to lay off people because of the expense of this. Is there a validity to their concerns and what will really happen?
FISHKIND: Well, for some companies, especially in the restaurant business, there is some validity to those concerns. But those companies that fail to provide health care will find that their best employees go to the companies that do provide health care.

Hank Fishkind is a principal at Fishkind & Associates, a consulting firm with offices in Orlando, Naples and Port St. Lucie. Tune in to WMFE-FM (90.7) at 7:34 a.m. Tuesdays for “Morning Edition” host Tom Parkinson's interview with Fishkind, on which this column is based

Jan 14, 13 Fla Today

Between the Affordable Care Act, endless budget talks and mountains of information that seem to loom higher daily, many local seniors are left with more questions than answers regarding health care.

Has the age for Medicare coverage gone up? I received an email that says I won’t be able to have surgery now that “Obamacare” is in place and I’m past 70: Is that true? Where can I get information about my plan since I’m not even sure what I have?
Those who work with Medicare and Medicaid recipients in Brevard say such questions and confusion are no surprise.
“We get questions about insurance and Medicare payments from customers daily,” said Donna Sammon, sales manager for Browning’s Pharmacy in Melbourne.
“Unfortunately, many times they don’t know what they’ve signed up for, especially when they’ve signed up for managed care or Medicare replacements and what they have is not conducive to what they need.”
FLORIDA TODAY took some of the questions and concerns commonly voiced locally and found the answers.
• I recently moved to Brevard County from New York. I had Medicaid when living there but am not eligible for it here. This is a federal program, so why am I not still eligible? Medicaid is funded both federally and state funded. “Because of that, requirements are different in every state,” said Lynne Meagher, Brevard coordinator for Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, better known as SHINE. “Applicants moving from one state to another must reapply for Medicaid, as the benefit does not ‘travel’ with them.”
On top of that, Florida has yet to decide whether to expand Medicaid under President Obama’s health care law. It asked Washington for permission to partially expand Medicaid but the federal officials said they would only pay for full expansion. Florida is seeking a waiver that would allow the state to run its Medicaid program more like a managed care system where costs are easier to control. No decision has been made on that.
• Has the age for signing up for Medicare gone from 65 to an older age, or is that in the works? That’s false. Although what will happen down the road is unknown and such proposals have been made, the age for signing on for Medicare — the health insurance program for most people 65 and older — remains at 65. If you have questions about your Medicare coverage, you can get year-round answers through SHINE.
(Page 2 of 2)
• How does what’s going on with the Affordable Care Act affect my prescription drug coverage? For those who reach the coverage gap commonly known as the “doughnut hole,” it means more help, according to Medicare’s official handbook for 2013. You’ll pay 47.5 percent for covered brand-name drugs and 79 percent for generic drugs.
• What is the “doc fix” I keep hearing about and what does it have to do with my coverage? The “doc fix” refers to doctors’ pay for treating Medicare patients, and has been a “patch” legislated annually since 2003 to avoid slashing that pay. The fiscal cliff deal provided the patch yet again, but isn’t a permanent solution.
“Congress averted a drastic cut of 26.5 percent from hitting physicians who care for Medicare patients on Jan. 1,” said Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, American Medical Association president, in a statement. “This patch temporarily alleviates the problem, but Congress’ work is not complete; it has simply delayed this massive, unsustainable cut for one year. Over the next months, it must act to eliminate this ongoing problem once and for all.”
• Is it true that if you’re older than 70, Medicare will not pay for surgery for you under the Affordable Care Act? Untrue. That’s a persistent but wrong statement that continues to circulate sporadically via email and Facebook.
This topic was addressed in November by Juliette Cubanski, associate director of the Medicare Policy Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “There is no provision in the health-care law that makes changes in Medicare benefits based on age,” she told Kaiser Health News.
• Do “Obamacare” changes for 2013 affect me as a Medicaid recipient? Three new provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are now in effect. One addresses Medicaid programs covering preventive care; another increases Medicaid payments to primary care doctors; and another, a pilot program called “bundling,” provides a flat rate to hospitals, doctors and medical providers for services rendered. A timeline for changes is at healthcare.gov/law/timeline.

• How does what’s going on with the Affordable Care Act affect my prescription drug coverage? For those who reach the coverage gap commonly known as the “doughnut hole,” it means more help, according to Medicare’s official handbook for 2013. You’ll pay 47.5 percent for covered brand-name drugs and 79 percent for generic drugs.

• What is the “doc fix” I keep hearing about and what does it have to do with my coverage? The “doc fix” refers to doctors’ pay for treating Medicare patients, and has been a “patch” legislated annually since 2003 to avoid slashing that pay. The fiscal cliff deal provided the patch yet again, but isn’t a permanent solution.
“Congress averted a drastic cut of 26.5 percent from hitting physicians who care for Medicare patients on Jan. 1,” said Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, American Medical Association president, in a statement. “This patch temporarily alleviates the problem, but Congress’ work is not complete; it has simply delayed this massive, unsustainable cut for one year. Over the next months, it must act to eliminate this ongoing problem once and for all.”
• Is it true that if you’re older than 70, Medicare will not pay for surgery for you under the Affordable Care Act? Untrue. That’s a persistent but wrong statement that continues to circulate sporadically via email and Facebook.
This topic was addressed in November by Juliette Cubanski, associate director of the Medicare Policy Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “There is no provision in the health-care law that makes changes in Medicare benefits based on age,” she told Kaiser Health News.
• Do “Obamacare” changes for 2013 affect me as a Medicaid recipient? Three new provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are now in effect. One addresses Medicaid programs covering preventive care; another increases Medicaid payments to primary care doctors; and another, a pilot program called “bundling,” provides a flat rate to hospitals, doctors and medical providers for services rendered. A timeline for changes is at healthcare.gov/law/timeline

Could be the first step of taxing you for this presently tax exempt benefit............


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/health/to-open-eyes-w-2s-list-cost-of-health-plans.html?_r=1&

[quote="sc4ram"]

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/07/will-these-obamacare-supporters-get-burned.aspx

This article also implies that Federal Exchanges are not funded

http://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-biggest-challenge-may-coming-103621699.html