US Dept of Ed Affordable Care Act Letter
The U.S. Department of Education has asked us to share the letter below, including links to relevant one-pagers, with students, teachers, and families as they prepare for back to school.
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Dear Region VII Colleagues,
Please find below information to share with those that might be interested in back-to-school materials regarding the Affordable Care Act. Thank you in advance for sharing this information.
The U.S. Department of Education is supporting the Administration’s efforts to inform the public about full implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Today, we are writing to enlist your help in our effort to find and enroll America’s estimated 50 million uninsured who will be eligible for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace starting in October of this year. We are dedicated to helping states, districts and schools promote good health by encouraging school communities to make use of exciting new provisions of the Act.
Too often, children who are uninsured encounter obstacles that prevent them from becoming fully engaged in the classroom, on the playing field and in other extracurricular activities, thus preventing them from getting the most out of their education. That is why our Department is working to ensure kids and families get coverage.
We are calling on leaders at every level to help enroll all eligible children and families. We urge you to join us and, via your membership networks and affiliates, to encourage schools to participate in this effort because schools are the centers of our communities. Every family, neighbor, educator, health care provider, and business knows the importance of well-educated and healthy children for a successful 21st century economy. The Affordable Care Act makes important investments to increase health care access in every school community.
The healthcare law:
· Expands and modernizes community health centers across the country to serve up to 20 million more patients.
· Brings more primary care providers to our neediest school communities by tripling the size of the National Health Service Corps, which offers loan repayment and scholarships for individuals serving in areas that most need health care providers.
· Improves funding for Area Health Education Centers, which serve the primary care needs of rural and other underserved.
Currently, everyone can access information about the Marketplace and HealthCare.gov and begin to share that information with teachers, students and families. It’s not too soon to check out the sites for tips and things that can be done now to prepare for enrollment in October. Individuals can sign-up for emails or text message updates, so they don’t miss a thing when it’s time to enroll.
When key parts of the health care law take effect, individuals will be able to go to HealthCare.gov to buy insurance from qualified private health plans and check if they are eligible for financial assistance all in one place.
We are asking you to share this message, and the links to relevant one-pagers below, with students, teachers, and families as they prepare for back to school, in the hope that we start this year with healthier children, families, and school communities.
4) http://marketplace.cms.gov/getofficialresources/other-partner-resources/other-partner-resources.html
Thank you for your assistance in disseminating this information.
Heartland@ed.gov
One Petticoat Place
1010 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 268-0400
(Serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska)
Patrick Kerr, Director, Region VII Communications and Outreach, (816) 268-0403, Patrick.Kerr@ed.gov
Jeanne Ackerson, Public Affairs Specialist, (816) 268-0401, Jeanne.Ackerson@ed.gov
Elaine Venard, Staff Assistant, (816) 268-0404, Elaine.Venard@ed.gov