Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2013)
r Spilygy T ym o o December 11,2013 Page 7 Consignment Store Answers to health care coverage questions To learn more about the op p o rtu n ities thro u g h the A ffo rd ab le C are A ct and Cover Oregon, visit the Warm Springs clinic or the Warm Springs Library. A t both lo cations there are trained spe cialists who can help answer any questions, and also assist in the health care coverage sign-up process. Meanwhile, here are some answers to fre quently asked questions about the health care law: Q uestion: Are Indians re quired to have health insur ance after 2014? Answ er: T he Affordable Care A ct requires m ost indi viduals to have health cover age or pay a penalty to the IRS— this is called the “indi v idual m a n d a te .” N ativ e Americans qualify for an ex emption from the individual mandate, but they m ust ap ply for the exem ption and provide documents to show that they are eligible for ei ther an exemption for mem bers o f federally recognized tribe; an d /o r a hardship ex emption for people who are eligible to receive services from the Indian Health Ser vice. Q uestion: Is IHS cover age going away under the Af fordable Care Act? M/Z.W6T.' N o. T h e IH S, tribal and urban Indian health programs will n o t be going away. Q u estion : W hat counts as health coverage for pur poses o f the individual man date? Answer: Generally, h ealth' coverage includes employ- based insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, Tricare and certain other types o f cover age. Health, coverage is also referred to as minimum es sential coverage. IHS is not considered minimum essen tial coverage; however, IHS beneficiaries have access to a hardship exemption to avoid the tax penalty for not have minimum essential Coverage. VA-coverage varies for dif ferent individuals, so veterans should check with the VA rep resentative to see if they have minimum essential coverage. Q uestion: I f Indians sign’ up for insurance, will they lose their IHS access or cov erage? * Answer: No, a person does n o t lose eligibility for IHS services if they sign up for Medicaid, Medicare, Market place plans or other health coverage. Q u estion : Why do Indi ans need health insurance cov erage if Indians get services' from the Indian Health Ser vice, a tribal program, or an urban Indian health program. A nsw er: By enrolling in health coverage through the M arketplace, M edicaid, or ChIP, you have better access to services. T h e In d ia n H ealth Service, tribal p ro grams, or urban Indian pro grams may not have enough m oney to p ro v id e all th e health care you need. You clinic can bill, the insurance com pany for the care they provide you, w hich makes m ore funding available for health care in your commu nity. You will help your tribe save valuable resources that can be used to provide care to o th er m em bers o f your community that may not be eligible’ for o ther form s o f coverage. Q uestion: I f Indians en roll in a M arketplace plan, will they have to get their health care from a clinic far away from where they live? Answer: You can continue to use yo u r trib al o r IH S clinic. Let .them know that you have insurance so that they can receive payment for services they provide to you. Bargains & M ore Open D aily and Holidays 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 108 SW D St., Madras (next to Texaco) G reat variety o f gifts-' Mention this advertisement -1 0 percent off purchase! k___ 541-325-2547 - Linda C. Hudson, owner website: goodbuysnm ore.com em ail: fogord5@ aol.com / 2 w Vets - If Cover Oregon is a marketplace fo r Tribal communities to find health insurance and financial help to pay fo r it. Ask fo r free assistance Name o f O rganization Address Line 1 W ebsite A ddress .J you can think of it, We can get it done! ~ Handyman services Contact Anthony Davis Jr. 541-460-2537 “N o jo b too b ig or too sm a ll.” M o re answers Q u e s t io n : W ill there be a cost for tribal members to enroll in a health insurance plan? Answer: W hen you use the H ealth Insur ance M ark etp lace website, you will find ■out if you qualify for programs that pay all or a portion o f the costs o f h e a lth in surance. Your tribe may be able to help with any addi tional costs. Q u e s t io n : Is it “double dipping” for IHS or my tribal clinic to receive funding from Congress and also bill my Marketplace insur ance? Answer: N o. C o n gress included special b enefits and p ro te c tions in the Affordable Care A ct intended to encourage Indian par ticipation in the new in surance M arketplace. Congress funds the In dian health system at only about half o f the level o f need, -and ex pects the IHS or tribal programs to bill insur ance plans. The fund ing for Indian health care comes from many sources and is needed to provide services for everyone in tribal com munities. Q u e stio n : W hat is the difference between the- E x ch an g es and Marketplace? Answer: Exchanges and the M arketplace are the same thing. The w o rd “E x ch an g e” is used in Affordable Care Art legislation and, regu latio n s. T h e w o rd “Marketplace” is used by the federal govern m ent in marketing and ad v e rtisin g b ecau se they think the public is m ore likely to under stan d it. S tate E x changes have their own nam es, su ch < as “CoverOregon.” Question: What kind o f d o c u m e n ts d o I need to get enrolled in a Marketplace plan? A nswer: E veryone needs a documents to show he or she is a U.S. citizen (birth certificate, tribal enrollment card, or voter ID.) 2 CERTIFIED :GQN COMMUNITY PARTNER
