Anna Strong with Advocates for Children shares important facts about health care reform
op 5 things YOU need to know about Health Reform (and one more for good measure)
1) Arkansas is making it easier than ever before to obtain and afford health insurance coverage for children and their families
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a. If you are uninsured – like 25% of adult Arkansans – new options for affordable, high-quality coverage are coming your way.
b. And if you have insurance now (like employer insurance, ARKids First, Medicare, or Tri-care), don’t worry, you don’t need to change anything.
2) With Arkansas’s new plan options, you can’t be denied or charged more for of pre-existing conditions like allergies or high blood pressure.
3) 95% of uninsured Arkansans will qualify for financial help paying for coverage. As you earn more money, you can keep the same plan and just pay a little more.
4) Every plan covers 10 “Essential Benefits” including doctor visits, maternity care, substance abuse and mental health treatment, and prescriptions.
5) You can compare plans and sign up between October 1 and March 31st! Go to the Arkansas Health Connector at www.arhealthconnector.org or call 855-283-3483. There, you can learn more about the plan options in Arkansas’s Marketplace and create your account. Be sure to know about any health care needs you may have (your doctor, your prescriptions) so you can make sure your new plan covers them.
6) Our health care system will be strengthened by every child and family who gets covered.
a. Coverage is essential to children reaching their full potential.
b. Coverage will help us reduce the number of preventable emergency room visits which burden the health care system and increase health care costs.
