COVID-19 & Healthcare

U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the legal fiction of ‘corporate personhood’ gives corporations religious liberty rights

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear religious challenges to the requirement that employers provide health insurance for their workers that includes birth control and related medical services.  The Court said it would decide constitutional issues, as well as claims under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog.com reports, Court to rule on birth-control mandate (UPDATED):

The Court granted review of a government case (Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores) and a private business case (Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius).  Taking the Conestoga plea brought before the Court the claim that both religious owners of a business and the business itself have religious freedom rights, based on both the First Amendment and RFRA.  The Hobby Lobby case was keyed to rights under RFRA.

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The Court did not expedite the briefing schedules for the new cases, so presumably they will be heard in March.  Moreover, the Court has already released its argument schedule for all sittings through the February session.

Under the orders the Court issued in the health care cases, the Justices are not being asked to strike down the requirement that employers provide a full range of pregnancy-related health care under their employees’ health insurance plans. In that sense, these cases are different from the Court’s first rulings on the ACA two years ago, when it upheld a penalty for an individual who refused to obtain health insurance at all and nullified a requirement that states must broadly expand their Medicare program of health care coverage for the poor.

This time, the Court will be focusing only on whether the pregnancy-related care coverage can be enforced against profit-making companies — or their individual owners, when that is a very small group — when the coverage contradicts privately held religious beliefs.

Ezra Klein: Healthcare.gov website is improving quickly

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

One of the harshest critics of the federal government's healthcare.gov web site has been Ezra Klein of the Washington Post (whom I suspect has an unhealthy faith in modern technology). Recent modifications to the web site now have "techie" Ezra Klein suggesting that the healthcare.gov may finally be working as it was intended to work. Wonkbook: Is Obamacare turning the corner?:

A spin through HealthCare.Gov this morning went smoothly. The site loaded quickly. The process progressed easily. There were no error messages or endless hangs. I didn't complete the final step of purchasing insurance but, until then, the site worked — or at least appeared to work — exactly as intended.

My experience isn't rare. There are increasing reports that HealthCare.Gov is working better — perhaps much better — for consumers than it was a few short weeks ago. "Consumer advocates say it is becoming easier for people to sign up for coverage," report Sandhya Somashekhar and Amy Goldstein in the Washington Post. "The truth is, the system is getting stronger as it recovers from its disastrous launch," writes Sam Baker in the National Journal. Applying "was no problem at all, with no delays," says Paul Krugman.

Reports from inside the health care bureaucracy are also turning towards optimism. People who knew the Web site was going to be a mess on Oct. 1st are, for the first time, beginning to think HealthCare.Gov might work. Data backs them up: By mid-November, the pace of enrollment in the federal exchanges had doubled from what it was in October.

Cristina Saralegui joins Get Covered America Campaign

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Press release from Get Covered America, Cristina Saralegui Joins Get Covered America Campaign As Efforts Ramp Up to Reach Women On Health Care Enrollment:

As families prepare to gather for the holiday season, the Get Covered America campaign is ramping up outreach efforts to English and Spanish-speaking women as the number one messengers for encouraging enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Today, the campaign released a new Spanish-language PSA featuring veteran Latina journalist and talk-show host Cristina Saralegui as part of their “She Knows/Ella Sabe” campaign, which equips women with the information they need to help their spouses, partners, children and neighbors enroll in new health coverage options.

“One out of four uninsured people who are eligible for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace is Latino, and access to affordable health care is critical to hard-working Hispanic families,” said Cristina Saralegui. “I’m thrilled to join the Get Covered America campaign to help spread the word to Latinas across the country, since we all know that a healthy woman means a healthy family and a healthy community.”

On GetCoveredAmerica.org, the campaign is launching new digital tools—including a female avatar named “Nona”—to help women sign up for the new health care options and commit to getting their family and loved ones covered as well.

“Women are often the most trusted voices both at home and in the community, and they play a critical role in making sure their family and friends have the information they need to get covered,” said Anne Filipic, President of Enroll America. “That is why we are so proud that Cristina Saralegui is joining our campaign and encouraging women, especially Latinas, to get the facts about the new health insurance options and spread the word to their loved ones.”

Watch the new Spanish-language PSA HERE (below the fold).

Arizona Marketplace health care insurance exchange info

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Arizona Health Insurance Marketplace is found at the official government web site, HealthCare.gov. The Spanish language version is at CuidadoDeSalud.gov. [Update: The Obama administration is planning a soft launch for the Spanish-language version of HealthCare.gov in early December, after a two-month delay, a senior administration official told TPM Tuesday. Exclusive: Spanish CuidadoDeSalud.gov Set For Soft Launch Next Month.]

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's office provides public service information that our local media does not, Health Insurance Marketplace Now Open:

The Marketplace, at HealthCare.gov and CuidadoDeSalud.gov, is online with costs and more detailed information.  Consumers have a choice of plans to compare.

With a single application, you can also see if you qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Those without Internet access can call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325) to enroll.

Local groups that can help people navigate the Health Insurance Marketplace include:

El Rio Community Health Center – 3480 E. Brittania Dr, Suite 120  (520) 670-3909

Pima County Health Department – 3950 S. Country Club, Suite 100  (520) 724-9999

Tucson Urban League – 2305 S. Park Ave  (520)791-9522

Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – 823 E. Speedway Blvd.  (520) 620-0005

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona – 330 N. Commerce Park Loop , Suite 200  (520) 903-9000

St. Elizabeth’s Health Center – 140 W. Speedway Blvd., Suite 100  (520) 628-7871

The above agencies are the only qualified navigators and offer their services free of charge.  Do not provide your social security number or health information to anyone but those groups, after you’ve made contact. The government will never call you for information.

Small businesses with fewer than 51 employees have their own marketplace. Call 1-800-706-7893 (TTY: 1-800-706-7915) for questions about the Small Business Health Options (SHOP) Marketplace.