ÍP
Jgnugry 22, 2014
Spilydy Tymoo, Wgrm Springs, Oregon
Pgge 8
Native Americans and the Affordable Care Act
Question: W hat counts as health
coverage for purposes o f the indi
vidual mandate?
Generally, health coverage in
, The Affordable Care Act requires cludes em ploy-based insurance,
m ost Individual to have health cov Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, Tricare
erage or pay a penalty to the IRS — and certain other types o f cover
.this is called the ‘individual man age. Health coverage is also referred
date.” N ative A m erican qualify to as minimum essential coverage.
for an exem ption from the indi IH S is n o t considered m inim um
vidual m andate, but they m ust essential coverage; however, IHS
■ apply for the exem ption and pro beneficiaries have access to a hard-
vid e d o cu m en ts to show th at ship.exemption to avoid the tax pen
th ey are elig ib le fo r e ith er an alty for not having essential cover
¡exem ption for mem bers o f fed- age. Veterans Affairs coverage var
i erally recognized Tribe; and/or ies for different individuals, so vet
i a hardship exem ption for people erans should check with the VA rep
¡who are eligible to receive ser resentative to determ ine if they
v ic e s from In dian H ealth Ser- have minimum essential coverage.
ivice (IHS).
Question: I f Indians sign up for
Question: Is Indian Health Ser insurance, will they lose their IHS
vice coverage going away under the access or coverage?
No. A person does not lose eli
Affordable Care Act?
gibility for IHS services if they sign
N o. The IHS Tribal and urban up for Medicaid, Medicare, M ar
Indian health programs will n ot be ketplace plans or other health cov
erage.
going away.
' Question: Are American Indians
¡required to have health insurance
a fte r 2014?
Question: Why do Indians need
health insurance coverage if Indi
ans get services from Indian Health
Service, a Tribal program , o r an
Urban Indian health program?
By enrolling in health coverage
through the Marketplace, Medicaid
or CHIP, you have access to ser
vices better. T he Indian H ealth
Service, Tribal programs, or Urban
In d ian pro g ram s may n o t have
enough money to provide all the
health care you need. Your clinic can
bill the insurance company for the
care they provide you, which makes
m ore funding available for health
care in your community. You will
help your Tribe save valuable re
sources that can be used to provide
care to o th er m em bers o f your
community that may n ot be eligible
for other forms o f coverage.
Question: If Indians enroll in a
Marketplace plan, will they have to
get their health care from a clinic
far away from where they live?
No. You can continue to use your
Tribal or HIS clinic. Let them know
you have insurance so that they can
receive payment for services they
provide to you.
Question: What is the difference
between the Exchanges and Mar
ketplace?
Exchanges and the Marketplace
are the same thing. The word “Ex
change” is used in Affordable Care
Act Legislation and regulations. The
word “Marketplace” is used by the
federal governm ent in m arketing
and advertising because they think
the public is more likely to under
stand it. State Exchanges have their
own names, such as CoverOregon
or to other state programs such as
CoverCalifornia, CoverWashington,
Coverldaho, etc.
Question: W hat kind of docu
ments do I need to get enrolled in a
Marketplace plan?
Everyone needs a document to
show he or she is a U.S. citizen: birth
certificate, T rib a l E n ro llm e n t
Card/N um ber or Voter ID.
Q uestion: Will there be a cost
for Tribal members to enroll in a
health insurance plan?
When you use Health Insurance
Marketplace website, you will find
out if you qualify for programs that
pay all or a portion o f the costs of
health insurance. Your Tribe may
be able to help with any additional
costs.
Q uestion: Is it “D ouble D ip
ping” for IHS or my Tribal clinic to
receive funding from Congress and
also bill my Marketplace insurance?
N o. Congress included special
benefits and protections in the Af
fordable Care Act intended to en
courage Indian participation in the
new insurance Marketplace, Con
gress funds the Indian Health Ser
vice at only about half o f the level
o f need, and expects the HIS or
Tribal program s to bill insurance
plans. T h e fu n d in g fo r In d ia n
H e a lth care com es from m any
sources and is needed to provide
services for everyone in the Tribal
community.
ÍFAFSA
¡workshops
Workshops are coming up for
students who are planning to go to
college. The workshops are in re
gard to the Free Application for
¡Federal Student Aid, o f FAFSA.
’The workshops are a requirement
for tribal scholarship students.
There will be a workshop from
6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 at
th e ’M adrâs’ b ran ch o f C entral
Oregon Community College.
There will also be a workshop
on January 31 from 1-3 p.m. at the
Warm Springs administration build
ing-
A nother is offered on February
5 from 2-4 p.m. at
M adras
COCC; and February 19 from 2-4
,p..m. at M adras CO C C ; and on
March 7 from 10 a.m.-12 noon at
the Warm Springs administration
building.
Please bring the following infor
mation: D ependent students (18-
24 years old): Bring your parents;
parents’ Social Security numbers;
parents’ dates o f birth. I f parents
¿te separated or divorced, you will
¿leed the m onth and year o f sepa
ration or divorce. Parents 2013 féd
éral tax return or estimated income;
-if p a re n ts’ are separated o r di
vorced, you only need tax informa
r o n for the parent that provides
tftore o f your support; p aren ts’
2013 W-2s.
All students: Social Security num
ber; driver’s license number; 2013
¿federal tax return (if completed) or
Estimated income. All 2013 W-2s.
F or more inform ation call Higher
•Education 541-553-3311.
Voc Rehab
orientations
Warm Springs Voccational
R ehabilitation has orienta
tions every Monday at 3 p.m.
at their office in the indus
trial park.
Orientations are also held
on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. at the
Community Counseling Cen
ter.
Qg— ---------- ------ —
CERTIFIED
Cover Oregon is a marketplace
for Tribal communities to find health
insurance and financial help to pay for it.
C0MMÖW1W
PARTNER
541 553 1196
-------- — .
The next deadline to submit
item s f o r publication in the
Spilyay Tymoo is Friday, Jan.
<
4,
31. Thank you!
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