NAVIGATION ASSISTANCE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 07
Bring your EX to Mad Mex!
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valentine’s day SATURday, Feb. 14 $ ALL DAY LONG!
$
7 BIG AZZ
MARGARITAS
2 FO R 4 0 DINNER
You and your lucky som
ebody get:
y Your choice of an appetizer to sha y 2 small frozen or rocks margarita re y An entree of your choice each s y A brownie dessert to fight over
affordable plan — even as the navigators face opposition. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case in which the plaintiffs want to take away the tax subsidies in the 37 states that use the federal health exchanges, including Pennsylvania. This could potentially make several of the federal plans unaffordable and threaten the viability of the entire ACA. Meanwhile, on the state level, some in the insurance industry have criticized the training of federally funded health-insurance navigators, saying they could mislead the public. The Pennsylvania Health Law Project, an organization that helps low-income, elderly and disabled consumers secure health care, says there are no examples of such harm. PA Senate Bill No. 293 calls for tight regulations on in-person navigators and hefty fines for noncompliance. The bill would create new registration requirements by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department for enrollment assisters and “tightly control” conversations the assisters, or navigators, could have with Pennsylvanians about what insurance products to purchase, according to the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, which opposes these types of laws.
A similar bill died last year. But several people who visited navigators at Enroll America’s local events said they wanted to talk to someone because they were confused about what to do. “I wouldn’t know what the heck I was doing [without navigators],” said Courtney Keeton, a student at CCAC’s Allegheny Campus. “This is my first time without insurance.” Because of her rheumatoid arthritis, she says, it’s important to get the medicine she needs to function every day. She said she initially completed her Healthy PA application with help from the Alma Illery Medical Center in Homewood, but she hasn’t heard anything since. Murphy, the Enroll America organizer, paired her with a navigator from the YWCA. “I didn’t know this table was going to be here today,” Keeton said. “I stopped by because I just wanted to see what they had to say and if I was [headed] in the right direction.” Murphy and the YWCA navigator assured her that a Healthy PA card should arrive in the mail within 30 days. And earnestly, Murphy told her that he’d “follow up to make sure everything goes OK.” A M U RRAY @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
JENSORENSEN
Free help with health insurance enrollment is here. Health insurance enrollment just got easier: Millions qualify for financial help No co-pays for preventive care Enroll by February 15 Free, in-person help
Dial 2-1-1 for your FREE appointment today.
greater pittsburgh
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 02.04/02.11.2015