Friday, March 29, 2024

Comentarios from Maria: White House Launches Informational Campaign on Obamacare

Maria-CNN-HeadshotThis past Tuesday, President Obama addressed the American people in a speech where he highlighted the progress that has been made on the Obamacare website, the benefits of the law, and the millions who are already benefiting from it.

The truth is that the President is right. Thanks to Obamacare, millions of people are already benefiting. These benefits include:

– About 10.2 million Latinos who previously had no access to health insurance, now have this option.

– It protects us from having coverage denied simply because we have a pre-existing condition.

– In 2014, nearly 6 in 10 people in the U.S. currently uninsured could be covered for less than $ 100 a month.

Last Tuesday, the White House, along with NGOs and members of Congress, launched a media campaign to inform the American people about all the benefits that Obamacare provides.

This week, the administration is focusing on free access to preventive services, the ban on denying an insurance plan or an increase on the premium, just because you have a pre-existing condition or if you get sick. The administration will also focus on the costs for health care which are the lowest we’ve had in 50 years, and continue to fall.

We have seen how the website has started catching momentum since the implementation of the health market on October 1.

Last Sunday and Monday, more than 29,000 people enrolled in a health plan. In other words, more people signed up in two days than the total amount registered in the month of October in the federal health market. In addition, millions are visiting www.healthcare.gov to learn about their options.

On the other hand, Republicans are clear in their strategy regarding Obamacare: Repeal the law and return to the days when insurance companies were in control of our health and millions of people were at risk of being denied coverage or having their premium increased just because of a pre-existing medical condition. The truth is that thanks to this law, those days are behind us, and as the President said very clearly in his speech on Tuesday, Obamacare is the law, and is here to stay.

Instead of wasting time trying to repeal the law which was declared constitutional by the Supreme Court, and most Americans support, Republicans should work with Democrats so that the law continues to operate and continues to benefit millions of people.

For those who want to have medical coverage begin on January 1, the last day to register is December 23. At the end of the day, we all have a responsibility to tell our friends, family and loved ones about the importance of having coverage and especially the benefits that the law provides. Only then can we help and make sure the 10 million Latinos who remain uninsured actually get health coverage.

 

This piece originally appeared in Spanish in the Washington Hispanic