Healthcare Consortium of Illinois http://www.hcionline.org To become a national leader committed to facilitating health and human service through advocacy, awareness and action through cutting-edge, quality-driven and diversified best practices and processes. Wed, 08 May 2013 15:58:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Illinois http://www.hcionline.org/how-the-health-care-law-is-making-a-difference-for-the-people-of-illinois/ http://www.hcionline.org/how-the-health-care-law-is-making-a-difference-for-the-people-of-illinois/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:43:52 +0000 Small Michelle D http://www.hcionline.org/?p=937 For too long, too many hardworking Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to insurance companies and put barriers between patients and their doctors. The Affordable Care Act gives hardworking families in Illinois the security they deserve. The new health care law forces insurance companies to play by the rules, prohibiting them from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy because of an annual or lifetime limit, or, soon, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition.

All Americans will have the security of knowing that they don’t have to worry about losing coverage if they’re laid off or change jobs.  And insurance companies now have to cover your preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings.  The new law also makes a significant investment in State and community-based efforts that promote public health, prevent disease and protect against public health emergencies.

Health reform is already making a difference for the people of Illinois by:

 

Expanding health insurance coverage in every state The Affordable Care Act will expand health insurance coverage by establishing a Health Insurance Marketplace in every state and increasing access to the Medicaid program. 1,403,613 or 13% of Illinois’s non-elderly residents are uninsured, of whom 1,291,129 (92%) may qualify for either tax credits to purchase coverage in the Marketplace or for Medicaid if Illinois participates in the Medicaid expansion.

Establishing the Health Insurance Marketplace.  When key parts of the health care law take effect in 2014, there’ll be a new way for individuals, families and small businesses to get health insurance. Beginning Oct. 1, 2013, individuals in every state will be able to shop for health insurance and compare plans through the Marketplace.

Increasing Access to Medicaid.  The Affordable Care Act also fills in gaps in coverage for the poorest Americans by giving states the option to expand Medicaid to individuals under 65 years of age with income below 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) (approximately $14,000 for an individual and $29,000 for a family of four) beginning in January 2014.  States will receive 100% federal funding for the first three years to support this expanded coverage, phasing to 90% federal funding in subsequent years. In addition, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility and enrollment will be much simpler and will be coordinated with the Marketplace.

Providing new coverage options for young adults Health plans are now required to allow parents to keep their children under age 26 without job-based coverage on their family coverage, and, thanks to this provision, 3.1 million young people have gained coverage nationwide. As of December 2011, 125,000 young adults in Illinois gained insurance coverage as a result of the health care law.

Making prescription drugs affordable for seniors The Affordable Care Act makes prescription drug coverage (Part D) for people with Medicare more affordable. It does this by gradually closing the gap in drug coverage known as the “donut hole.” Since the enactment of the law, 6.1 million Americans with Medicare who reached the donut hole have saved over $5.7 billion on prescription drugs.  Nationwide, drug savings of $2.5 billion in 2012 were higher than the $2.3 billion in savings for 2011.  In Illinois, people with Medicare saved over $235.3 million on prescription drugs since the law’s enactment.  In 2012 alone, 133,889 individuals in Illinois saved over $95.9 million, or an average of $716 per beneficiary.  In 2012, people with Medicare in the “donut hole” received a 50 percent discount on covered brand name drugs and 14 percent discount on generic drugs.  And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, coverage for both brand name and generic drugs will continue to increase over time until the coverage gap is closed.

Covering preventive services with no deductible or co-pay The health care law requires many insurance plans to provide coverage without cost sharing to enrollees for a variety of preventive health services, such as colonoscopy screening for colon cancer, Pap smears and mammograms for women, well-child visits, and flu shots for all children and adults. The law also makes proven preventive services free for most people on Medicare.

In 2011 and 2012, 71 million Americans with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing, including 3,047,000 in Illinois. And for policies renewing on or after August 1, 2012, women can now get coverage without cost-sharing of even more preventive services they need.  Approximately 47 million women, including 2,048,961 in Illinois will now have guaranteed access to additional preventive services without cost-sharing.

The Affordable Care Act is also removing barriers for people with Medicare.  With no deductibles or co-pays, cost is no longer a barrier for seniors and people with disabilities who want to stay healthy by detecting and treating health problems early. In 2012 alone, an estimated 34.1 million people with Medicare benefited from Medicare’s coverage of preventive services with no cost-sharing.  In Illinois, 1,271,704 individuals with traditional Medicare used one or more free preventive service in 2012.

Providing better value for your premium dollar through the 80/20 Rule Under the new health care law, insurance companies must provide consumers greater value by spending generally at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health care and quality improvements instead of overhead, executive salaries or marketing. If they don’t, they must provide consumers a rebate or reduce premiums. This means that 299,544 Illinois residents with private insurance coverage will benefit from $61,802,411 in rebates from insurance companies this year, for an average rebate of $380 per family covered by a policy.

Scrutinizing unreasonable premium increases In every State and for the first time under Federal law, insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more. Illinois has received $4,531,085 under the new law to help fight unreasonable premium increases. Removing lifetime limits on health benefits The law bans insurance companies from imposing lifetime dollar limits on health benefits – freeing cancer patients and individuals suffering from other chronic diseases from having to worry about going without treatment because of their lifetime limits. Already, 4,670,000 people in Illinois, including 1,743,000 women and 1,192,000 children, are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage. The law also restricts the use of annual limits and bans them completely in 2014.

Creating new coverage options for individuals with pre-existing conditions As of August 2012, 3,279 previously uninsured residents of Illinois who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under the new health reform law. To learn more about the plan available in Illinois, check here.

Supporting Illinois’s work on Affordable Insurance Exchanges Illinois has received $38,989,615 in grants for research, planning, information technology development, and implementation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges.

  • $1,071,784 in Planning Grants:  This grant provides Illinois the resources needed to conduct the research and planning necessary to build a better health insurance marketplace and determine how its exchange will be operated and governed. Learn how the funds are being used in Illinois here.
  • $37,917,831 in Exchange Establishment Grants:  These grants are helping States continue their work to implement key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Learn how the funds are being used in Illinois here.

Preventing illness and promoting health (Last Updated: March 15, 2012) Since 2010, Illinois has received $31,000,000 in grants from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. This new fund was created to support effective policies in Illinois, its communities, and nationwide so that all Americans can lead longer, more productive lives.

Increasing support for community health centers and primary care clinicians The Affordable Care Act increases the funding available to community health centers nationwide. In Illinois, 42 health centers operate 548 sites, providing preventive and primary health care services to 1,098,483 people.  Health Center grantees in Illinois have received $160,162,882 under the Affordable Care Act to support ongoing health center operations and to establish new health center sites, expand services, and/or support major capital improvement projects.

As a result of historic investments through the Affordable Care Act and the Recovery Act, the numbers of clinicians in the National Health Service Corps are at all-time highs with nearly 10,000 Corps clinicians providing care to more than 10.4 million people who live in rural, urban, and frontier communities.  The National Health Service Corps repays educational loans and provides scholarships to primary care physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, behavioral health providers, and other primary care providers who practice in areas of the country that have too few health care professionals to serve the people who live there.  As of September 30, 2012, there were 495 Corps clinicians providing primary care services in Illinois compared to 168 in 2008.

Strengthening partnerships with Illinois

The law gives states support for their work to build the health care workforce, crack down on fraud, and support public health.  These partnerships help ensure that health care providers are working where they are needed most – in both urban and rural areas. They ensure that half a million people annually get access to HIV/AIDS treatment and access to high quality primary care services.

Examples of Affordable Care Act grants to Illinois not outlined above include:

  • $800,000 to support the National Health Service Corps, by assisting Illinois’s State Loan Repayment Program in repaying educational loans of health care professionals in return for their practice in health professional shortage areas.
  • $5,100,000 for health professions workforce demonstration projects, which will help low income individuals receive training and enter health care professions that face shortages.
  • $6,000,000 to support teaching health centers, creating new residency slots in community health centers.
  • $8,664,412 for school-based health centers to help clinics expand their capacity to provide more health care services and modernize their facilities.
  • $287,100 for Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, organizations run by and for families with children with special health care needs.
  • $17,878,176 for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. These programs bring health professionals, social workers, or paraprofessionals to meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a child’s health, development, and ability to learn – such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition.

Last updated: March 18, 2013

Health and Humans Services-HealthCare.gov

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/how-the-health-care-law-is-making-a-difference-for-the-people-of-illinois/feed/ 0 CCE/MCCN Initial Award Annoucement http://www.hcionline.org/ccemccn-initial-award-annoucement/ http://www.hcionline.org/ccemccn-initial-award-annoucement/#comments Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:12:25 +0000 Small Michelle D http://www.hcionline.org/?p=917

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2012

Quinn Administration Names Six Healthcare Networks to Lead Transition to Coordinated Care Groups were selected from applicants across the state Goal is to improve healthcare outcomes and control costs
 

CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) today named six healthcare networks that have been chosen initially to launch the state’s transition to greatly expanded coordinated care by 2015.  The six provider groups applied to be part of the “Care Coordination Innovations Project” led by HFS Director Julie Hamos.  They were selected based on their demonstrated ability to offer a holistic approach to delivering coordinated care for special populations including seniors and adults with disabilities.  The Department plans to work with the other provider organizations not selected in the first round to explore possible enhancements to the project proposals.“Illinois continues to make real progress in transforming its Medicaid program,” Governor Quinn said. “These six healthcare provider groups understand what the future of healthcare will look like. Each has designed innovative care coordination models that will deliver better care and outcomes for our most vulnerable populations.”The Innovations Project is one of several initiatives the state is employing to meet the requirements of the state’s 2011 Medicaid reform law to enroll 50% of clients into care coordination.  The goal is to redesign the healthcare delivery system so that is more patient-centered, with a focus on improved health outcomes and evidence-based treatments, enhanced patient access, and patient safety.  Care coordination is also the key strategy to contain the Medicaid budget. Through this solicitation, HFS is testing innovative models that offer risk-based care coordination through Care Coordination Entities (CCEs) and Managed Care Community Networks (MCCNs). These models are an alternative to traditional Health Maintenance Organizations.Under a solicitation released in January, HFS sought proposals from CCEs or MCCNs that would form provider-based networks to provide the care coordination services to seniors and adults with disabilities who have the most complex health and behavioral health conditions, and are therefore the most expensive to serve. The state required that these CCE and MCCN partners would include participation from hospitals, primary care providers, and mental health and substance abuse providers. The role of care coordination is to facilitate the delivery of appropriate health care and other services, and to manage needed transitions in care among providers and community agencies.“The healthcare and social service providers who participated in the Innovations Project have shown a tremendous willingness to collaborate and test new models of delivering care to our most vulnerable populations,” said HFS Director Julie Hamos. “Today’s announcement is a big step forward in our effort to transform the Medicaid program and work with healthcare providers across the state to do a better job of keeping residents healthy and a better job of treating them when they do become sick.”The solicitation invited providers to collaborate and demonstrate that they can build new networks that offer care coordination services and achieve better health outcomes and cost savings than under the current fragmented system.HFS selected the six proposals – four in northeastern Illinois and two in downstate Illinois – that presented the most comprehensive models and took a holistic approach to serving clients and coordinating services for all of their needs. The state expects to select additional participants in the next year.The agency recognizes that these CCE and MCCN entities will need time to build their infrastructure, including the use of electronic health records, to be able to serve the eligible enrollees as envisioned under each care coordination model.  The initial awards are anticipated to extend for a three-year term, with possible extensions based on specific quality and savings measurements assessed under each model during the initial term.  Each entity will serve 500-1,000 Medicaid clients in the first year as they establish and test their care coordination models before expanding in the following years. Care coordination fees will be paid based on performance, but the plan must be at least cost neutral over three years through reduced use of emergency rooms, reduced hospital admissions and readmissions, follow-up care and other strategies.

HFS will collect detailed data from each model and the data will be will be used to measure and assess the performance of the various models of care coordination.

Following are the entities selected in the initial award and a brief summary of each care coordination model:

Care Coordination Entities:

Be Well Partners in Health – As a CCE, the proposed care coordination model will be led  by MADO Management LP, Bethany Homes and Methodist Hospital, Norwegian American Hospital and Neumann Family Services. It includes a network of collaborators within the community that are Primary Care Physicians, Mental Health Providers, Substance Abuse Providers, and others.  The focus of this model is on improving health outcomes for adults with severe mental illness and chronic health conditions, including substance abuse, on the North Side of Chicago.  This Innovations Project will test a care coordination model organized by a nursing facility group, with its unique insight into long-term services and an additional focus on care coordination services within long-term care settings.

Healthcare Consortium of Illinois – As a CCE, the proposed care coordination model will be led  by the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois, a community-based, non-profit organization and includes a network of collaborators within the community that are Primary Care Physicians, Behavioral Health Service Providers, Hospitals and others. The focus of the Consortium’s care coordination model is a Comprehensive Care Plan which is managed and monitored by an evidence-based process for seniors and their eligible family members in 13 zip codes on the South Side of Chicago.  This Innovations Project will test a model organized by a community-based organization that promotes the concept of “networks within networks” with its base of hospitals, physicians and social service organizations.

Macon County Care Coordination – As a CCE, the proposed care coordination model will be led by the Macon County Mental Health Board, with a network of collaborators that includes a Federally Qualified Health Center for primary care, Hospitals, Behavioral Health Service Providers, a Health Department and others.  The focus of the collaborations care coordination model is to promote coordination and communication of social support and medical services across different organizations and providers for adults with serious mental illness, seniors with chronic illness, including dual eligibles, and children and family members of adult enrollees in Macon County. This downstate Innovations Project, organized by a county-based mental health organization, will be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of care coordination led by mental health providers.

Precedence Care Coordination – As a CCE, the proposed care coordination model will be led by Precedence CCE which represents a newly established collaboration of providers and community organizations including hospitals, substance abuse entities, clinics and three established community mental health centers.  The CCE is proposing to serve adults with disabilities, including adults with serious mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders across a nine-county region in Northwest and Central Illinois. The regions include Whiteside, Lee, Rock Island, Bureau, Henry, Mercer, Stark, Marshall, Putnam and LaSalle counties and combine both rural and urban demographics. The Innovations Project tests a model organized through a major hospital system, featuring integration of primary and behavioral care with community health agencies through health home hubs.

Together4Health – As a CCE, the proposed care coordination model will be led by Heartland Health Organization, Inc., and includes 37 collaborators: hospitals, primary care providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers, pharmacy, behavioral health providers, social services and housing providers. The collaborators care coordination model is based on the health home setting and will be an integrated, holistic approach that promotes physical, mental and social well-being, while improving access to care, for adults and seniors with disabilities, including those with serious mental illness and people who are dually eligible, in Cook County.  This Innovations Project brings a unique focus on serving hard to reach populations including the homeless.

Managed Care Community Network:

Community Care Alliance of Illinois – As a MCCN, the proposed care coordination model will be led by Community Care Alliance of Illinois, a wholly owned subsidiary of Family Health Network, and includes over 40 hospitals and 6,000 practitioners.  This MCCN’s care coordination model proposes to serve seniors and persons with disabilities, including those with severe mental illness and intellectual/developmental disabilities in Anchor Medical homes that address six domains of care: medical, psychological, functional, environmental, social support and financial.  The MCCN is proposing to serve eligible individuals in Cook and surrounding counties. This Innovations Project is unique in that it borrows from a successful model pioneered by Dr. Robert Master, CEO of the Community Care Alliance in Boston, who serves on the MCCN’s National Advisory Board.  It is the only full-risk proposal submitted to the Department.

For more information about the Innovations Project, go to: http://www2.illinois.gov/hfs/PublicInvolvement/cc/Pages/default.aspx

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/ccemccn-initial-award-annoucement/feed/ 0 Community Violence Prevention Program – Youth Employment Program/Parent Program http://www.hcionline.org/847/ http://www.hcionline.org/847/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:30:14 +0000 Shontel Jones http://www.hcionline.org/?p=847  Healthcare Consortium of Illinois

 

Community Violence Prevention Program (CVPP)

                 

                        

            ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS!!

WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE LABOR??

 

As a business leader, you are in a unique position to provide a valuable, cost-free resource to the residents of your community while creating positive pathways for youth in your community. 

The Community Violence Prevention Program (CVPP) - Youth Employment Program connects businesses and organizations, with the next generation of talented and diverse young workers. This program will ensure that over 1,800 Chicago and South Suburban area youth ages 16 to 24 the opportunity to work part-time at partnering local businesses and organizations for 9 weeks during the Summer of 2013; we are also seeking Mentors to work with the youth individually as well as in group settings.

The Community Violence Prevention Program (CVPP)- Parent Program will employ and empower 1,110 Parent Leaders within the 24 CVPP communities to reduce the risk factors that contribute to violence and negativity while promoting protective factors that contribute to family and community stability, well-being and peace. CVPP seeks parents with passion, desire, and enthusiasm for making positive changes within families and communities. All community residents who consider themselves parents are eligible for employment, including teen parents, grandparents, foster parents, and non-custodial fathers. CVPP’s 19-week Parent Program is a collaboration of citizens, business, government, schools, and non-profit organizations that will support parents in raising healthy, positive, and productive children. Parent leaders will strengthen their own families and work in teams to advance transformation of their neighborhoods.

What makes this initiative unique is that all wages will be subsidized by Governor Quinn’s CVPP state grant program. There are no costs to employers. In addition, CVPP manages all payroll and bookkeeping functions related to employment, oversees recruitment and screening, and provides workforce development training to make its recruits valued employees.

 

CVPP needs your help to ensure community based organizations and businesses are aware of its Youth Employment Program. With this initiative, local employers have a unique opportunity to not only gain a valuable employee without cost, but also share work experience that will mold the next generation of business leaders.

 

As the Program Coordinator of your local CVPP community organization (Bremen, Bloom & Thornton Townships) I would like to meet with you to educate you about how your participation will allow the continuation of creating positive pathways for youth in your community. If you are interested in helping promote the Youth Employment or Parent Program(s), please complete the application on line at www.ilnri.org and contact me directly at 708.201.3078 or via e mail at jdavis@hcionline.org.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jaclin Davis

Program Coordinator

The Governor’s Community Violence Prevention Program

 

 

 

 

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/847/feed/ 0 Healthy Start Petition http://www.hcionline.org/healthy-start-petition/ http://www.hcionline.org/healthy-start-petition/#comments Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:12:03 +0000 Shontel Jones http://www.hcionline.org/?p=826 WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

BABIES ARE DYING  IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND WE

NEED YOUR HELP TO SAVE LIVES!

 

HEALTHY START

 

 “CAMPAIGN TO SAVE OUR BABIES”

 

Your support  is needed to save babies in our communities.   Healthy start works to reduce infant mortality and low birth rates and our efforts aid mothers with positive birth outcomes.

 

PREVENT  PREMATURE BIRTHS

PREVENT LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS

DECREASE INFANT MORTALITY RATES

 

 Please click on the link below to sign our On -line Petition and to view our Letter to President Barack Obama’s Office.

 

https://www.change.org/petitions/healthy-start-save-our-babies-campaign

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/healthy-start-petition/feed/ 0 ‘Obamacare’ symbol: Court ruling is ‘right direction’ http://www.hcionline.org/obamacare-symbol-court-ruling-is-right-direction/ http://www.hcionline.org/obamacare-symbol-court-ruling-is-right-direction/#comments Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:26:06 +0000 admin http://dev.hcionline.org/?p=634 Tampa, Florida (CNN) — Sitting on a corner of her brown sofa in a modest rental apartment, Miss M. Turner creates hand-made jewelry — not quite the image you might expect from a public face in the nation’s bitter fight over health care reform.
What the health care ruling means to you
In the months leading up to Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling about the White House-backed Heath Care Affordability Act, Turner’s photo went viral across the political blogosphere, accompanied by the provocative headline “I am Obamacare.”
The high court ruled that the law’s individual mandate — the provision requiring all Americans to have health insurance — will stand. Turner called the ruling “historic,” “amazing” and “the right direction.”
Photos: Health care and the high court
“I have to admit I was worried because … I thought they were going to strike down part of it, especially the individual mandate,” Turner said.
Read the ruling (pdf).
The ruling is good news for millions of Americans like Turner who have a pre-existing health condition. Between 50 million and 129 million of them are younger than 65, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Last fall, Turner, 35, who is neither a politician nor a political operative, got noticed by grabbing a simple piece of paper and a blue Sharpie, and without even planning what to say, wrote, “I discovered my uterus was full of tumors. I couldn’t pay for surgery and because it was now a ‘pre-existing condition’ insurance companies could (and did!) turn me down for coverage.”

Turner says she was laid off for health-related absences and now makes a living with her hand-made jewelry business.
The letter went on to praise the President Obama-supported pre-existing insurance plan for paying for most of her surgery.
She set the timer on her small, red point-and-shoot camera and snapped a picture of herself holding the note and posted the photo on her blog www.giveneyestosee.com — a site she’s operated since 2001.
Her photo has “been all over the Web; that’s crazy to me,” said Turner, who prefers to be identified by her first initial only: M.
It has been shared, praised, criticized, discussed, debated, dissected and dismissed on a wide swath of political forums both well-known and not-so-well-known, including DailyKos, MoveOn.org, Democratic Underground, Progressive Libertarianism, Mother Jones, The Health Care Blog and The Voices In Frank’s Head.
The praise has convinced her that she’s had a hand in turning the very meaning of the word Obamacare on its ear. First used as a weapon by Obama opponents, the word has more recently been embraced by supporters of the president’s plan.
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Thursday, “Obamacare was bad policy yesterday, and it’s bad policy today. Obamacare was bad law yesterday, and it’s bad law today.”
The ruling has prompted the Republican National Committee to launch a site called PeopleVObamacare.com.
For Turner, her personal campaign has made her a bit of a target.
This woman is destroying America.
Commenter, Voices in Frank’s Head blog
“This woman is destroying America,” said a Voices in Frank’s Head commenter. “Why couldn’t she just get a second job at a local strip club if she really needed money for this so-called ‘operation’? That, after all, is what a good, honest, hard-working American would do.”
In 2014, the law will prevent insurance companies from discriminating or denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition, says CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. For now, the law offers the federal Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, which allowed Turner to have her surgery.
Edmund Haislmaier, a health policy expert at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said the new regulations threaten to make the nation’s health care problems worse and destabilize the market.
“Obamacare’s radical changes to health insurance regulation were never necessary for expanding coverage for already sick patients” because of the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) — which limits how employer health care plans can exclude benefits based on pre-existing conditions.
Turner understands going without insurance was a gamble, but like many Americans she struggles to pay her $237 monthly premium for the pre-existing coverage.
“It’s not that I didn’t want health insurance this whole time,” she says. “It’s just a lot of money, and it’s hard to come up with the money every month.”
She laughs when she remembers sitting down last October to post her Obamacare photo online from her bedroom computer amid her collection of stuffed animals and small Disney figurines.
Timeline of the health care law
“I never thought a simple picture on my humble little blog would be all over the Web, go viral,” said Turner, who shares her home with her fiance and two cats.
“(It) would shut down my website three times a month because of the traffic. It was insane,” Turner laughed. “One person said ‘you’re a hero’ — which made me blush because I didn’t think I was a hero.”
As a part-time national customer service representative working for the Nielson Co. in Tampa, Florida, Turner had no benefits.
“I was looking at being faced with tens of thousands of surgeries and no way to pay for it,” she said. “I cried — woo I cried.”
Health companies turned her down for her pre-existing condition and government assistance denied her coverage for making too much money.
Breaking down the court’s decision
A friend told her about the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, insurance coverage under the Health Care Affordability Act, and Turner was accepted.
To raise the $5,000 co-pay she needed for surgery, plus the $13,000 emergency room visit, Turner’s friends and family staged a large garage sale. She also asked online supporters for donations.
Another fundraising avenue for Turner was her hobby — creating hand-made jewelry like her silver and gem-stone tree of life pendant.
Today her hobby has become her primary source of income. Nielson laid Turner off after she took a long absence from work to have her surgery.
Turner, a Democrat and self-described liberal, says she is grateful to Obama for his health care reform legislation because 51 million people like her are denied basic health care because they don’t have health insurance.
Although she was excited when her story was featured on Obama’s re-election website, she’s more excited by Thursday’s announcement.
“We had to drag people forward for women¹s rights, civil rights. Equality in this country, discrimination in this country, these are issues people fought against — and health care is just the latest,” she said. “I totally get that about the country: bad or good, you have to drag people kicking and screaming into the future.”

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/obamacare-symbol-court-ruling-is-right-direction/feed/ 0 General Assembly http://www.hcionline.org/general-assembly/ http://www.hcionline.org/general-assembly/#comments Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:56:32 +0000 admin http://dev.hcionline.org/?p=628  

General Assembly

 

Monday, April 22, 2013 at 9:30am 11:30am

 

  Penthouse

1350 E. Sibley Blvd.

    Dolton, Illinois 60419

 

Our Guest Speaker: 

 

Jessica Pickens, MPA

Pickens & Associates

Government Relations & Consulting

 

Focus is on:

Legislative Process Updates

The Eyes and Ears on Springfield

 

  Continental Breakfast Served

 

RSVP

Candace Brooks at 708.841.9515 ex: 2481

or emailing cbrooks@hcionline.org

 

 

 

                                                                        

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/general-assembly/feed/ 0 Roseland 2011 Neighborhood Hero – Salim Al Nurridin http://www.hcionline.org/roseland-2011-neighborhood-hero-salim-al-nurridin/ http://www.hcionline.org/roseland-2011-neighborhood-hero-salim-al-nurridin/#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:35:57 +0000 admin http://dev.hcionline.org/?p=622 http://www.hcionline.org/roseland-2011-neighborhood-hero-salim-al-nurridin/feed/ 0 10/18/10: Gov. Quinn Launches Effort to Improve Breast Cancer Detection and Treatment http://www.hcionline.org/101810-gov-quinn-launches-effort-to-improve-breast-cancer-detection-and-treatment/ http://www.hcionline.org/101810-gov-quinn-launches-effort-to-improve-breast-cancer-detection-and-treatment/#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:30:39 +0000 admin http://dev.hcionline.org/?p=620 http://www.hcionline.org/101810-gov-quinn-launches-effort-to-improve-breast-cancer-detection-and-treatment/feed/ 0 Health Care Reform Saved Medicare Recipients $3.7 Billion On Prescription Drugs http://www.hcionline.org/health-care-reform-saved-medicare-recipients-3-7-billion-on-prescription-drugs/ http://www.hcionline.org/health-care-reform-saved-medicare-recipients-3-7-billion-on-prescription-drugs/#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:06:58 +0000 admin http://dev.hcionline.org/?p=612 If the Supreme Court overturns President Obama’s health care reform law on Thursday, seniors will likely have to spend billions more on prescription drugs.

Findings released on Monday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services showed more than 5.2 million seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare have saved a total of $3.7 billion on prescription drugs since parts of the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2010.

Much of those savings come from health care reform’s attempt to resolve the so-called “doughnut hole” problem of Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. Before the law went into effect, many Medicare recipients faced a coverage gap that forced them to pay the full price of prescription drugs once they hit a set limit on prescription drug spending, but had not yet reached the threshold required to receive catastrophic care coverage.

Now, Medicare recipients see savings applied automatically when they hit the “doughnut hole.”

The government gave $250 checks to 3.8 million people that hit the doughnut hole in 2010, and then gave Medicare recipients another $2.8 million in discounts in 2011 and the first five months of 2012, according to CMS. The “doughnut hole” is on track to be fully closed by 2020 thanks to health care reform, the agency said.

Prescriptions receiving the discounts include cancer drugs, triglyceride and cholesterol lowering drugs, blood sugar lowering drugs, asthma drugs, autoimmune disease anti-inflammatory drugs, psychiatric drugs and anti-dementia drugs, according to CMS.

But many of those prescription drugs would become unaffordable for Medicare recipients if the Supreme Court overturns health care reform. Brenda and Wister Adrine, a Cleveland couple receiving Medicare, told HuffPost’s Jeffrey Young last week that they will have to choose between buying groceries and prescription drugs if they no longer can receive discounts made available by the law.

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/health-care-reform-saved-medicare-recipients-3-7-billion-on-prescription-drugs/feed/ 0 APNewsBreak: Ill. not ready for ‘Obamacare’ target http://www.hcionline.org/apnewsbreak-ill-not-ready-for-obamacare-target/ http://www.hcionline.org/apnewsbreak-ill-not-ready-for-obamacare-target/#comments Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:56:54 +0000 admin http://dev.hcionline.org/?p=607 CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois Democrat who has led work on implementing a key part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul now says the state will need to partner with the federal government for its insurance exchange.

Rep. Frank Mautino told The Associated Press this week that Illinois won’t meet be able to meet a Nov. 16 deadline for the online insurance marketplace and must consider a new option — a federal-state partnership — to get ready for its first year if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the law.

That would put Obama’s home state among a majority of states limping unsteadily toward implementing the law. The court is expected to rule on the reforms Thursday, and could overturn or dismantle the law, leaving states to determine how to proceed from there.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Pat Quinn said Illinois is prepared for the court’s decision.

“We are prepared for the numerous scenarios,” said Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson. “We are making progress, and have since the law was passed, to implement the (Affordable Care Act) in Illinois.”

Insurance exchanges, a cornerstone of Obama’s health law, would allow people and small businesses to comparison shop online for insurance starting in 2014. The concept has been described as Travelocity for health insurance.

Before new federal rules issued in May, there were two choices for states: run your own exchange, or see the federal government step in and take over.

But as states lagged behind and asked for more flexibility, the federal government developed a third choice — a state-federal partnership — that will make it easier for slower states to catch up and provide political cover to state officials who don’t want to be seen doing anything to hasten what critics have called “Obamacare.”

Most people buying insurance through the exchanges will likely be eligible for taxpayer-financed subsidies, and the exchanges will help people who qualify enroll in Medicaid. Participating insurance plans would have to take all applicants, regardless of prior health problems, unless the Supreme Court strikes down that portion of the law along with a requirement that most people buy health insurance.

Illinois has received three federal grants totaling $39 million to study and start building an exchange, but the Legislature has failed to pass a law establishing it, a necessity. The Quinn administration has considered an executive order to establish one, but Mautino said it’s too late now.

“Because of the timeline, the first year of the exchange is going to be a joint state-federal exchange,” Mautino said.

If the law is overturned or altered substantially by the Supreme Court, Mautino said there will be questions, including what happens to the nearly 2,000 Illinois residents covered by a federally funded insurance plan for people denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

“On Thursday, I’ll read the decision,” Mautino said. On Friday, “I’ll start making some phone calls.”

The twin health care problems of rising insurance costs and people losing health coverage won’t disappear if the court overturns Obama’s health law. That scenario could leave Illinois Democrats and Republicans floating their own ideas for health care.

Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat and sponsor of recent Medicaid legislation in Illinois, said the state “can still pursue universal coverage” if the law is overturned, using Massachusetts as a model.

“A Republican governor and Democratic Legislature in Massachusetts were able to accomplish an insurance exchange with generally favorable results,” Steans said referring to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. “I believe we can learn from and improve on this model to get more people covered — an important policy objective.”
Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican who co-chaired a legislative study committee on the health insurance exchange, said he’d like to see the court overturn the law. “Then we in Illinois could craft the delivery of health care services without the forced hand of the federal government and the Obama administration,” Brady said.

Brady said he wouldn’t rule out a health exchange in Illinois, even if the law is overturned. He said first he would revisit the issue with insurance carriers. “If the idea of one central exchange works for them, then how do we afford it?” he asked. The federal money would dry up without the law, he acknowledged.

Only 10 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws establishing exchanges since Obama signed the law. New York and Rhode Island established exchanges with executive orders. Massachusetts also has a state-run exchange.

One insurance carrier lobbyist confirmed Illinois has fallen so far behind that it’s “almost impossible” for the state to run its own exchange in the first year. The state hasn’t given insurers the information needed to get their health plans ready to sell on an exchange, said Elena Butkus of Aetna Inc. “Once you put out the specifications, it’s going to take a minimum of 16 months (for health insurers to be ready). I don’t have those specs from Illinois,” Butkus said.

Illinois was not among the 26 states challenging the law in court and Quinn, a Chicago Democrat, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the law. But progress on implementing it slowed as doubts about “Obamacare” grew.

Obama’s signature legislation focuses on covering most of the uninsured and requires nearly every U.S. resident to have coverage. In Illinois, nearly 17 percent of residents under age 65 are uninsured, up from about 14 percent in 2008, according to an analysis of government data released Friday by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council.

Illinois officials estimate about 800,000 uninsured residents would get health insurance in 2014 because of the national law, climbing to more than 1 million by 2020.

]]> http://www.hcionline.org/apnewsbreak-ill-not-ready-for-obamacare-target/feed/ 0