On Friday, March 14, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services and our community partners, VA is hosting a Google+ Hangout and information session to provide uninsured Veterans, their family members, caregivers and advocates information about health insurance options available under the Affordable Care Act.
Join us at noon ET on the Google+ event page – or on the VA website to learn more about what the Affordable Care Act means to Veterans and family members.
VHA’s Lynne Harbin, deputy chief business officer, member services chief business office; HHS’s Catherine Oakar, director of public health policy in the office of health reform; VA subject matter experts and community partners will be available to provide information and resources to uninsured Veterans, their family members, caregivers and advocates about the Affordable Care Act and how they may enroll in quality health care.
The Affordable Care Act expands access to coverage, and helps to improve health care quality and care coordination. The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans’ out-of-pocket costs.
As a Veteran enrolled in VA health care, you don’t need to take any additional steps to ensure you meet the health care law coverage standards and eligible Veterans not enrolled can do so at any time.
If you are enrolled in any of VA’s programs below, you have coverage under the standards of the health care law:
- Veteran’s health care program
- Civilian Health and Medical program (CHAMPVA)
- Spina bifida health care program
You don’t need to do anything more. The health care law does not change your VA benefits or out-of-pocket costs. You can continue to enjoy VA health care, which means you have:
- Medical care rated among the best in the U.S.
- Immediate benefits of health care coverage. Veterans may apply for VA health care enrollment at any time.
- No enrollment fee, monthly premiums, or deductibles. Most Veterans have no out-of-pocket costs. Some Veterans may have to pay small copayments for health care or prescription drugs.
- More than 1,700 places available to get your care. This means your coverage can go with you if you travel or move.
- Met the new requirement to have health care coverage that meets the minimum standard.
If your family members or caregivers are not covered by a VA health care program, they can use the Health Insurance Marketplace to get coverage. They may get lower costs on monthly premiums or out-of-pocket costs, and they could be eligible for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Open enrollment for health insurance coverage through the Healthcare Marketplace ends March 31, so it’s important to ensure now that your family members are covered.
The goal of the VA health care system is to achieve excellence in patient care and customer satisfaction. VA’s medical mission is singular — to serve Veterans by providing the highest quality health care available anywhere in the world. America’s Veterans deserve nothing less. To go along with that, we want to ensure our Veterans’ families are also taken care of. So please, if you don’t already have insurance, check out www.HealthCare.gov and get covered today! We hope you can join us on Friday, March 14 at noon ET for the Google+ Hangout!
For more information on the Affordable Care Act, visit http://www.va.gov/aca.
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The veterans and their families deserved such services from the government after those years of courageous acts for the nation. But I hope this health care service is comprehensive especially to the veterans themselves.
How can I get better healthcare especially for heart health? The serious heart condition I have was caused by Dr. Shenyi Peng in the emergency room of the Northport VAMC. He is abusive to all US veterans and hates them. He misdiagnosed me,mistreated me and my wife and prescribed the wrong prescriptions and it left me with a permanent heart problem that is life threatening and gives me a very short life expectancy. How can I get dental healthcare? Where can I go other than the VAMC? How much would it cost as I am now 100% disabled as a result of the medical malpractice by Dr. Shenyi Peng?
I don’t believe the VA should promote the idea of veterans meet the requirement for the affordable healthcare law. Veterans are faced with huge hospital bills when admitted to non-VA hospitals. The VA should promote alternative coverage for the veterans in case of emergency admissions to a non-VA hospitals. Also VA care is not always the greatest. Veterans are restricted from the new technologies. VA doctors are reluctant to use new technologies to diagnose and treat veterans. A primary care doctor in a VA setting will not recommend MRI, CAT Scan or other expensive test until he/she is done experimenting with alternate methods. So, I believe veterans should have alternate coverage to cover non-VA hospitals for non scheduled admissions (emergency). A VA hospital is not always available in some communities.
Those the ACA help with dental care?
What the government should do is show what a single payer system is like. Be proud of the VA. They should make special mention of all the good things like driving 170 miles for a doctors visit, waiting 9 weeks to see a specialist, no malpractice recourse, no accountability of hospital directors and providers whose third language is English to just give the highlights. (-sarc.)
That is why, even though I am 100% disabled, and I could get free care and be paid travel pay, I go to private doctors. I don’t care that it costs me money, it is the care I receive. A long time ago my dad said to me, “the best price is not the best value.” It held true then and holds true today – especially with the VA.
I think that the government should leave well enough alone and stop trying to mess with our healthcare…
Mario, go join the rest of your republican colleges and let the system work people like u hurt the aca, u do not know what u are talking about.
To start it is colleagues not colleges. Regarding your response it is not the Republicans nor the Tea Party that hurt this law, it is the structure of the law itself. Republicans only have to point out what is not working. You have just proven to everyone that will read your statement how uninformed YOU are. Until you have read the law in its entirety YOU are just showing your naivety by voicing your opinion. I really hope you read this and decide to become more informed. The last thing this country needs are more uninformed voters.
Adam Roger that Congress passed the ACA Christmas eve 2009 without having a clue of what was all in there.So much for representing your constituents huh