DEPARTMENT: Health
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Colleen M. Bridger, MPH, PhD
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
A briefing on the status of the Affordable Care Act
SUMMARY:
The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District will provide a presentation, briefing the Community Health and Equity Committee on the status of the Affordable Care Act.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was created in 2010 to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to a wider range of Americans. The law has three primary goals: 1) make health insurance more affordable through a Health Insurance Marketplace; 2) expand the Medicaid program for individuals with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level; and, 3) support innovative medical care delivery methods to reduce costs. Locally, the EnrollSA Coalition has been a nationally recognized major force in educating, promoting and enrolling individuals in health insurance.
In 2010, the estimated number of uninsured in Bexar County was 330,000. The number of ACA enrollees grew from 76,000 in 2014 to 121,000 in 2016. Since the November 2016 election, the local number of ACA enrollees has declined to 113,612. Currently, the biggest concern across the nation and in San Antonio is the confusion about the status of the ACA given recent attempts by U.S. policy makers to repeal and replace the ACA. The upcoming open enrollment period has been shortened from three months to just six weeks (Nov. 1st - Dec. 15th). Federal funding for media promotion and insurance enrollers has been cut resulting in 50 less ACA enrollers in San Antonio. ACA enrollers are responsible for outreach and education as well as enrolling individuals on insurance plans. In addition, a recent presidential executive order has added to the confusion by ending cost-sharing reduction payments to insurance companies.
The October 12, 2017 presidential executive order would create lower cost health insurance options with less co...
Click here for full text