The
Health Care Law
and
Affordable Care Act
U. S. Department of Health & Human Services
Pamela Roshell, PhD, MSW
Regional Director
Region IV
Atlanta, Georgia
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U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Mission:
At the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), our mission is to
improve the health, safety and well
being of the American people.
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The Problem
• Insurance companies could take advantage of you and
turn away the 129 million Americans with pre-existing
conditions.
• Premiums had more than doubled over the last decade,
while insurance company profits were soaring.
• Tens of millions were underinsured, and many who had
coverage were afraid of losing it.
• And 50 million Americans had no insurance at all.
The Health Care Law
In March 2010, President Obama signed into law the
Affordable Care Act.
What the Law Means for You: 4 Things to Know
• Ends the worst insurance company abuses
• Makes health insurance more affordable
• Strengthens Medicare
• Provides better options for coverage
The Law Stops Insurance Companies
from Taking Advantage of You
TODAY, it is illegal for insurance companies to:
• Deny coverage to children because of a preexisting condition like asthma or diabetes.
• Put a lifetime cap on how much care they will pay
for if you get sick.
• Cancel your coverage when you get sick by finding
a mistake on your paperwork.
• And more…
The Law Makes Health Insurance More Affordable
In many cases, you can get preventive services for free:
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Cancer screenings such as mammograms & colonoscopies
Vaccinations such as flu, mumps & measles
Blood pressure screening
Cholesterol screening
Tobacco cessation counseling and interventions
Birth control
Depression screening
And more…
Visit www.healthcare.gov/prevention for a full list.
The Law Makes Health Insurance More Affordable
BEFORE, insurance companies spent as
much as 40 cents of every premium dollar
on overhead, marketing, and CEO salaries.
60% / 40%
TODAY, the new 80/20 rule says
insurance companies must spend at least
80 cents of your premium dollar on your
health care or improvements to care.
80% / 20%
If they don’t, they must repay the money.
The Law Provides Better Options for Getting Coverage
For millions of Americans who buy their
own coverage, lose their coverage, or
have no coverage at all, the law provides
better options.
The Law Provides Better Options for Getting Coverage
Young adults under the age of 26 can now stay on their
parents’ health plans.
There are new plans in every state for people who have
been locked out of the insurance market because of a
pre-existing condition like cancer or heart disease.
For more, visit www.PCIP.gov.
The Law Provides Better Options for Getting Coverage
Starting in 2014:
• Discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions or
because they are women will be illegal.
• There will be new State-based marketplaces – called Affordable
Insurance Exchanges – where you’ll have a choice of private
plans.
• Tax credits will make buying insurance more affordable.
• So no matter what happens, you’ll have access to affordable
health insurance.
The Law Increases Access to Care
There are thousands of new doctors and nurses in
communities around the country and millions more patients
getting care.
4 Things to Remember About the Law
• Ends the worst insurance company abuses
• Makes health insurance more affordable
• Strengthens Medicare
• Provides better options for coverage
Learn More
http://www.healthcare.gov/
Contact Info:
Natalia Cales
Regional Outreach Specialist
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Region IV)
61 Forsyth St., SW
Atlanta, GA 30303-8909
Region IV - AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN
Office: (404) 562-7888
Fax: (404) 562-7899
Email: Natalia.Cales@hhs.gov
Follow us on Twitter: @HHSRegion4
Affordable Care Act
(Overview of the Administration for Children & Families)
U. S. Department of Health & Human Services
Administration for Children & Families,
Region IV
Atlanta, Georgia
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Presenter
Carlis Williams
Southeast Regional Administrator
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Atlanta, Georgia
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THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES
The Administration for Children and
Families (ACF), located within the
Department of Health and Human
Services, provides national leadership
and direction for the administration of
comprehensive and supportive
programs for vulnerable children and
families.
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WHAT ARE THE PROGRAM SERVICES?
• ACF brings together a broad range of over 60 Federal
programs that promote the economic and social well being
of families, children, individuals and communities. Major
program services include:
– TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)
– Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
– Child Support Enforcement
– Child Welfare
– Developmental Disabilities
– Runaway and Homeless Youth
– Head Start
– Community Services Block Grant
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TANF (TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO
NEEDY FAMILIES) and the AFC
• TANF provides timelimited assistance to
needy families with
children to:
– promote work
– responsibility
– self-sufficiency
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CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND
(CCDF)
• Child Care and Development
Fund (CCDF) assists lowincome families, families
receiving temporary public
assistance, and those
transitioning from public
assistance, in obtaining
child care so they can work
or attend educational
training.
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CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
• Child Support Enforcement
program seeks to ensure that
parents provide emotional and
financial support for their
children. Services provided
include:
– Locating non-custodial
parents
– Establishing paternity and
child support orders
– Establishing and enforcing
medical support orders
– Securing/distributing regular
and timely child support
payments
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CHILD WELFARE
• Child Welfare focuses on
the national goals of
safety, permanency and
the well being of children:
– Foster care/Adoption
Assistance
– Independent Living
Program
– Family Preservation and
Family Support Services
– Child Abuse and Neglect
Prevention and Treatment
– Promoting Safe and Stable
Families
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RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH
• Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (RHY)
began in 1974, in response to concern about
increasing numbers of runaway youth who were
exposed to exploitation and the dangers of street
life. It has subsequently been expanded to:
– assist homeless youth on short-term basis
– assist homeless youth in making the transition to independent
living
– assist homeless youth with drug education and prevention
services
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DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILTIES
• Developmental Disabilities Program assists
individuals with developmental disabilities to
reach maximum potential through increased
independence, productivity and community
integration.
• Funding to support these services is provided to
State Developmental Disabilities Councils,
Protection and Advocacy Programs, University
Center for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities and to Projects of National
Significance.
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HEAD START
• Head Start is a national program which provides
comprehensive developmental services for America’s
low-income, preschool children ages three to five and
social services for their families.
• The Head Start Act Amendments of 1994 established
the Early Head Start program, which expands the
benefits of early childhood development to low
income families with children under three and to
pregnant women.
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Tribal Maternal, Infant, ad Early Childhood
Home Visiting Program
• The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting
Programs are authorized by Section 511 of Title V, as added by
the Affordable Care Act,.
• Authorizes the award grants to Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations
or Urban Indian Organizations to operate evidence-based home
visiting programs in at-risk Tribal communities.
• Home visiting services provided under this grant are meant to
improve child and family outcomes focusing on areas such as
prenatal, maternal, and infant health, child health and
development, parenting skills, school readiness, and family socioeconomic status, and reduce incidence of child abuse and
neglect, injuries, crime, and domestic violence.
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ACF Program Initiatives
• ASSETS.
• Positive Youth Development
• Healthy Marriage (AAHMI, Hispanic, Asian Pacific and Native
American).
• Responsible Fatherhood
• Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
• Human Trafficking
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For More Information about the
Administration for Children & Families:
Visit our Website at:
www.acf.hhs.gov
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Improving Racial and Ethnic Minority Health Status
(Provisions of the Affordable Care Act)
National Association for State Community Service Programs - September 13, 2012
Dr. Arlene Lester
Regional Minority Health Consultant
US Department of Health and Human Services
Region IV – Atlanta, GA
The Affordable Care Act
(ACA) and the Disparities
Provisions
 Improve access, affordability and quality of
care
 Focus on prevention and wellness
 Lays a strong foundation for reducing health
disparities
 Includes specific provisions related to
disparities reduction and health equity
http://www.healthcare.gov
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ACA Provisions Impacting Health Disparities
General Provisions with
Significant Implications for
Racially and Ethnically Diverse
Populations
• Health Insurance Reforms
to Expand Coverage and
Affordability
• Actions to Improve Access
to Health Care
• Quality Improvement
• Cost Containment
• Public Health Initiatives
• Social Determinants of
Health
Health and Health Care Provisions
Specific To Race, Ethnicity And
Language
• Data Collection & Reporting
by Race, Ethnicity and
Language (Section 4302)
• Workforce Diversity
• Cultural Competence
Education and
Organizational Support
• Health Disparities Research
• Health Disparities
Initiatives in Prevention
• Addressing Disparities in
Health Insurance Reforms
36Studies
Source: Joint Center for Political and Economic
“For the first time, the United States has a coordinated road map designed
to give everyone the chance to live a healthy life.” - HHS Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius
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NPA Purpose: To mobilize a nationwide, comprehensive, and
community-driven approach to combating health disparities.
Five Goals of the NPA:
• Awareness
• Leadership
• Health System and Life Experience
• Cultural and Linguistic Competency
• Data, Research, and Evaluation
http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/npa/
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NPA GOALS
Function
Goal
AWARENESS: Increase awareness and understanding of the
major health problems and needs of racial and ethnic
minorities and the nature and extent of health disparities
Lay the foundation for responsive
policy and program action
DATA: Promote the collection of health data by racial and
ethnic categories and strengthen infrastructures for data
collection
Provide a sound basis for decisionmaking
PARTNERSHIPS AND NETWORKS: Establish and strengthen
partnerships, networks, and coalitions
Identify and solve problems and
concerns affecting the health of racial
and ethnic minorities
POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PRACTICES: Review, analysis,
comment, and active involvement in existing policy
development, as well as the initiation, development,
coordination, and implementation of new initiatives and
activities
Affect policies, programs, and practices
to address the health of racial and
ethnic minorities and to eliminate
health disparities
RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION: Foster
research, demonstrations, scientific investigations, and
evaluation of interventions aimed at improving the health of
racial and ethnic minorities
Determine model approaches, best
practices, and program and
intervention effectiveness
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National Stakeholder Strategy
(NSS) for Achieving Health
Equity: A product of the NPA that
offers 20 specific strategies for
reaching NPA goals and assists
federal, regional, tribal, state, and
local stakeholders in adopting
effective strategies for their
communities.
http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/npa/
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ARLENE.LESTER@HHS.GOV
WWW.MINORITYHEALTH.HHS.GOV