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  • Affordable Care Act: Creating Health Access for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

    Posted by Howard K. Koh, M.D. on August 20, 2013 at 6:19 PM EDT

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the HHS Blog.

    Every one of us knows someone- a friend, a relative, or maybe a patient- who couldn’t receive the care they needed because they lacked insurance. Thankfully, this will start to change on October 1, 2013, when people can sign up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, with benefits beginning as early as January 1, 2014. 

    The Affordable Care Act — what some may know as Obamacare, health reform, or the health care law of 2010 — is a historic piece of legislation that can reduce health disparities in our nation.  Of note, a lot in the health care law represents good news for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

    Through provisions of the Affordable Care Act, more Americans will have access to affordable health care coverage.  For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the law’s benefits will help reduce disparities in both health care and health outcomes through expanded insurance coverage and better access to high-quality health care services.

    For example, the Affordable Care Act has enabled 121,000 young Asian American and Pacific Islanders ages 19 to 25 to gain health coverage, because they can now stay on their parents' plans until age 26.

    Also, about 3.8 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with private insurance have gained expanded coverage of free preventive care, such as mammograms, diabetes screenings, and hepatitis A and B vaccines for infants, children, and adults.

    Lastly, nearly 2 million uninsured Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will have new opportunities for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

    Affordable Care Act: Creating Health Access for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

    See the full-size graphic.

    As a Korean American son of immigrants, I am personally committed to help ensure that the nearly 1 in 5 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) who currently lack health insurance now have access to high quality, affordable health coverage. And as a physician and Assistant Secretary for Health, I am confident that the Affordable Care Act will deliver on the promise of better insurance, better care, and better prevention to elevate the public health of all Americans.

    This is our chance to make the dream of quality, affordable health insurance a reality for millions of Americans in all of our communities. If we work together, America will be a country where all people have the opportunity to attain their highest achievable level of health.

    Howard K. Koh, M.D., is the MPH Assistant Secretary for Health.

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  • Weekly Address: Working to Implement the Affordable Care Act

    Posted by Matt Compton on August 17, 2013 at 5:30 AM EDT

    President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the State Dining Room of the White House Aug. 9, 2013.

    President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the State Dining Room of the White House Aug. 9, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

    President Obama says we are on the way to fully implementing the Affordable Care Act and helping millions of Americans.  

    Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

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  • Learn About the Health Insurance Marketplace in Korean

    Posted by Dr. Howard Koh on August 16, 2013 at 12:30 PM EDT

    Nearly 1 in 5 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) do not have health insurance.  We know that health coverage is important to our families, and now, it will be more accessible than ever through the Affordable Care Act —what some may know as Obamacare, health reform, or the health care law of 2010.

    You’ve probably heard about the new Health Insurance Marketplace, which will be open on October 1.  But you probably still have questions, like what is the Marketplace, and can I really get health insurance?

    To provide information about the new Health Insurance Marketplace, to members of the AAPI community who do not understand, or have difficulty understanding English, I’m excited to announce that the White House Initiative on AAPIs will host a series of online Google+ Hangouts in AAPI languages.

    The first of these Hangouts will be in Korean.  During the Hangout, there will be a live question and answer period with representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They will respond to your questions and provide information on how to obtain health care coverage through the new Marketplace.

    The Korean in-language Hangout will take place on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM (EST). We hope you will join us by watching live at a local viewing party or online by joining our Google Hangout.  You may also submit your questions in advance, by emailing whitehouseaapi@ed.gov or tweeting them to @WhiteHouseAAPI. More information about the in-language Hangouts can be found on the WHIAAPI website, and more information about the Affordable Care Act can be found here.

    We hope you will join the conversation – in Korean!  Our goal is to bring greater awareness of health care to the AAPI population, so that all people achieve their full potential for health.

    Dr. Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, is the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    한국어로 건강 보험 마켓플레이스에 대해 알아 보십시오

    작성: Howard Koh 박사

    아시아계 미국인과 태평양 제도민(AAPI)의 약 5명 중 1명이 건강보험을 가지고 있지 않습니다. 건강 보험이 우리 가족들에게 중요하다는 것을 우리 모두 알고 있습니다. 혹자에게는 오바마케어, 건강개혁 또는 2010년 헬스케어법으로도 알려져 있는 의료보험개혁법을 통해 이제 건강 보험은 우리에게 보다 가까워질 것입니다.
     

    여러분 중에는 새로운 건강 보험 마켓플레이스라는 것을 들어보셨을 것입니다. 이것은 10월 1일부터  이용할 수 있게 될 것입니다. 그렇지만 여러분은 마켓플레이스라는 것이 무엇인지, 아니면 내가 진짜 보험을 갖게 될 수 있을지 같은 궁금증을 가지고 계실 것입니다.

    영어 구사가 쉽지 않은 AAPI 커뮤니티 가입자들에게 이 새로운 건강 보험 마켓플레이스에 대한 정보를 제공해드리는 행사에 관한 소식을 하나 전해드리겠습니다. AAPI에 대한 백악관 캠페인을 통해 여러 차례의 온라인 구글+ 행아웃 행사를 AAPI 가입자의 언어로 주최할 예정입니다.

    이 행아웃 이벤트의 첫 언어는 한국어입니다. 행아웃 진행 중에 미국 보건복지부의 담당자가 나와 실시간으로 질의 응답을 할 예정입니다. 담당자는 여러분의 질문에 답해드리고 새로운 마켓플레이스를 통해 어떻게 건강 보험을 얻을 수 있는지에 관한 정보를 제공해드릴 것입니다.

    한국어로 진행되는 행아웃은 2013년 8월 27일화요일동부표준시로 오후 3시~4시에 열릴 예정입니다. 현장 참여 모임에서 직접 행사를 보시거나 온라인으로 구글 행아웃에 참여하시어 내용을 보실 수 있습니다. 여러분의 질문을 이메일로 whitehouseaapi@ed.gov에 미리 제출하시거나 @WhiteHouseAAPI로 트윗을 하실 수도 있습니다. 모국어로 진행되는 행아웃에 대한 보다 자세한 정보는 WHIAAPI 웹사이트에서 확인하실 수 있으며 의료보험개혁법에 대한 보다 자세한 정보는 여기를 클릭하셔서 얻으실 수 있습니다.

    한국어로 진행되는 본 행사에 많은 분들이 참석하시기를 기대하겠습니다! 저희의 목표는 AAPI 이용자들에게 건강관리에 대한 경각심을 보다 더 일깨우는 데 있습니다. 그렇게 되면 모든 사람들이 최대한 건강을 누릴 수 있을 것입니다.

     Howard K. Koh(의학박사, 공중보건석사) 박사는 미국 보건복지부의차관보입니다.)
    "Korean Translation"

     

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  • Una Simplísima Explicación de Obamacare

    Posted by Kasie Coccaro on August 15, 2013 at 10:53 AM EDT

    En los meses venideros, entrarán en vigencia normas adicionales de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio, tales como medidas de protección al consumidor para personas en Estados Unidos y sus familias, que pongan fin a los peores abusos cometidos por empresas aseguradoras, prohibiendo prácticas discriminatorias basadas en condiciones médicas preexistentes, eliminando los límites anuales a lo que las aseguradores cubren, y dando acceso por primera vez a toda persona en Estados Unidos a planes de cuidado de la salud que limitan los gastos médicos pagaderos por el paciente.

    Queremos esclarecer algunos otros mitos sobre Obamacare.

    Nota del editor: Esta lista es de healthcare.gov Véase la publicación original aquí.

    Ahora que le hemos contado acerca de la Ley del Cuidado a la Salud, díganos en un Tweet porqué el seguro de salud es importante para usted. Use el hashtag #214words. O déjenos un comentario en Facebook usando 14 palabras o menos.

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  • Five Ways the Affordable Care Act Helps America’s Small Businesses

    Posted by Ari Matusiak on August 14, 2013 at 5:05 PM EDT

    Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and for the 28 million small employers across the country, healthcare is a major concern. The Affordable Care Act provides benefits and opportunities to small businesses that will help increase access to affordable coverage options.

    Here are five key ways the Affordable Care Act can benefit small employers and their workers:

    read the rest
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  • 2014 in 214 Words: A Really Simple Explanation of Obamacare

    Posted by Kasie Coccaro on August 14, 2013 at 3:20 PM EDT

    In the following months, additional provisions of the Affordable Care Act will be available, including critical new consumer protections for Americans and their families that end the worst insurance company abuses by banning discrimination based on pre-existing health conditions, ending annual limits on what an insurance company will cover, and giving all Americans access to health care plans that cap out-of-pocket medical costs for the first time.

    We wanted to debunk some of the other myths about Obamacare – here are 214 words to describe the law.

    read the rest
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