The Affordable Care Act has been called many things: Obamacare, the Health Care Reform Act, and some even went as far as to call it another move into national socialism. So what is the Health Care Reform Act, and more importantly; why is it so crucial that Milwaukee residents pay attention now, especially? The Affordable Health Care Act (or AcA) intends to provide medical coverage to all Americans based on their income and resolves to decrease the total amount individuals will have to pay for health care coverage. In the state of Wisconsin, if you cannot afford to buy insurance, you will now qualify for Badger Care (Medicaid). If you can afford the health care costs, however, or if you go too long without at least the minimum coverage specified by these new regulations, you will be fined and will still find yourself paying 100% of the health care bills that occur during the year.
“People need to know this,” states MATC paralegal Mary O’Leary. “Parents need to pay attention because their children may think they are covered after Jan. 1, but they will not.” O’Leary is referring to the parents whose children are already on Badger Care, or even the supposed 140,000 people on the waiting list, as over 17,000 Milwaukee parents will be affected by this reform.
By the time of this publication, notices to parents will have already been mailed to inform them of these changes. Yet, according to O’Leary, many health care and legal professionals are worried that Milwaukee residents won’t pay attention because they are already weary of the constant government paperwork and might just find themselves out-of-luck and out of coverage come Jan. 1.
“I care too much about the people of this state not to empower them to control their own destiny,” Governor Walker stated when addressing the public about why he decided not to accept the money offered for Medicaid expansion. Official statements from Walker’s press office added that government funding for Medicaid would start to diminish after 2 years, costing taxpayers more money in the long run.
Regardless if you agree with the politics of Washington or at home with our local legislators, Health Care Reform has arrived and the time to make a decision for you and/or your family is now. Determining which plan, what doctors, and which coverage to purchase will ultimately fall on the responsibility of the individual and not the government; so it is important for Milwaukee residents to stay informed.
There is good news for those concerned with whether or not they can even afford insurance at all; individuals making less than the poverty level of $11,490 (annually) can now apply for Badger Care. Those that make more than 100% of the poverty level will now have to buy insurance from the Health Insurance Marketplace (called the “Exchange”). Other noteworthy provisions include: young adults under age 26 being allowed to remain on their parent’s health care plan, protections from pre-existing conditions, and even a “catastrophic” plan for in-need, low-income individuals under 30 (or qualifying residents over 30); which protects them from very high costs typically associated with extreme health conditions.
Milwaukee residents that fail to act before Dec. 15, will have to pay a fine of 1% of their yearly income, or $95 per individual (whichever is higher). This fee will only increase annually and will rise upward to $695 per individual in 2016, in addition to being responsible for any health care bills that may have accumulated in the meantime.