Unpacking the Affordable Care Act AND ITS IMPACT IN GEORGIA ELISE BLASINGAME, GEORGIA WATCH & LAURA COLBERT, GEORGIANS FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE

Who We Are:  Georgia Watch  State-wide consumer advocacy organization.  Programmatic focus areas in healthcare access, consumer energy, financial protection and civil justice.  Operated a navigator program as part of the Seedco Consortium in OE1 and OE2.  Provided specific expertise on complex tax filing issues related to ACA and advanced issues with Marketplace appeals.  Georgians for a Healthy Future  State-wide consumer health advocacy organization  Vision: A day when every Georgian has access to the quality, affordable health care that they need to live healthy lives and contribute to the health of their communities  Provide enrollment and post- enrollment assistance, as well as policy recommendations and advocacy related to a variety of health policy issues

Marketplace Basics:  Georgia has a Federally- Facilitated Marketplace  Income between % of the FPL were eligible to receive an Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC)  Income between % FPL qualified for cost- sharing reductions (less costly; higher value plans)

Providers Offering Marketplace Plans in Georgia During OE1/OE2

Getting Georgia Covered

Organizations Providing Enrollment Assistance During OE1/OE2  65+ Certified Application Counselor Organizations  48 Navigator Organizations  Federal Grantees  HRSA Grantees  Organizations with chronic disease management focus

Enrollment in Georgia ENROLLMENT OE1ENROLLMENT OE2 316,543541,080 During Open Enrollment 2 ( )  Nearly 9 in 10 Georgians qualified for an advanced premium tax credit  45% re-enrolled from the previous year  Organizations with chronic disease management focus  55% were new enrollees to the Marketplace  Effectuated enrollment for OE2: 83.7% (452,815)

Enrollment in Georgia: By County (OE2)

Enrollment in Georgia: Cost The average premium paid for an individual plan after tax credits were applied was $73/month

Using Healthcare.gov Plans

Challenges to Enrollment  Initial issues with healthcare.gov during OE1  Limited health insurance literacy among consumers  Immigrants faced language and verification issues  Confusion and political opposition to ACA hindered partnerships  Consumers who fall into the coverage gap cannot access affordable care

Challenges Post-Enrollment  Income and citizenship verification issues with the Marketplace  Healthcare providers denying ‘Obamacare’ plans.  Tax-filing issues related to consumers who received an excess tax credit.  Miscommunication between health insurance providers and the Marketplace.

Successes  Using a variety of local venues to conduct outreach and organize enrollment events  Leveraging the support of existing partnerships for outreach  Developing trust with consumers  Strategic media through local outlets VITA Tax Preparer & Seedco Navigator DebriefGrady Navigator assists recently terminated Fulton County Employees

So When is Open Enrollment? Nov. 1, 2015Jan. 31, 2016 Nov. 15, 2014 Feb. 15, 2015 Oct 1., 2013 March 31, 2014 OE1 OE2 OE3 March 15 – April 30, 2015 TAX PENALTY SEP April 17, 2014

Open Enrollment 3 (OE3)  New navigator organizations  Focus on hard-to-reach populations  Georgia: one of the top 10 markets for eligible but uninsured consumers  Atlanta: Top market for eligible, but uninsured African-Americans  Georgia-specific outreach & education materials

Questions? Elise Blasingame Director of Community Education & Financial Protection Georgia Watch Laura Colbert Community Outreach Manager Georgians for a Healthy Future , ext. 2