February’s White House Disability Community Call dealt with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how it affects people with disabilities. The ACA is important to people with disabilities because it allows access to coverage to individuals who may have previously been left un- or underinsured because of their condition. This is due to two provisions within the ACA, 1) people with disabilities cannot be denied and cannot be charged extra because of pre-existing conditions; and 2) the ACA prohibits the use of lifetime limits. Currently, 36 states participate in the federal marketplace and 14 states plus the District of Columbia have their own marketplaces. When applying for insurance through these marketplaces, applicants will be advised if they are eligible for Medicaid and for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). To sign up, visit healthcare.gov which is available in English and Spanish. You can also call 800/318-2596 or TTY 855/889-4325. If you are eligible for Medicaid, please visit Medicaid.gov. If you would like more information on CHIP, please visit this informative page from Medicaid.
Open enrollment closes on March 31st, 2014. If you elect not to participate in the marketplace and/or if you elect not to receive insurance through your employer before the enrollment closes, you will be charge a tax penalty.
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) provides information on health insurance through the State Health Insurance Programs (SHIPs). To learn more, please visit NASUAD’s page on SHIPs.
Neither NIDRR nor NARIC endorse any programs found in this blog post. NARIC provides this information as a service to our patrons.
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 