Experts: Seek advice about health coverage

Teche Action Clinic’s certification application counselors are available to assist St. Mary Parish residents find health insurance coverage for the start of the new year.

Today is the deadline for coverage to begin on Jan. 1. But reenrollment remains open until Jan. 31.

The Affordable Care Act put in place comprehensive health insurance reforms to improve access, affordability, and quality in health care, said on the www.healthcare.gov website.

Teche Clinic counselor Tamika Carter’s advice to those without health insurance is to visit with counselors and see what options are available.

“It could be very beneficial to them and also you don’t want to pay the penalty,” Carter said. “The penalty for not being insured this year is around $695.”

Premiums and deductibles are unique to you because it’s based on your income, Carter said.

“You go through the application and they show you show what’s affordable for you,” Carter said. “If you’re eligible for a premium tax credit, then that will help pay for your premiums each month.”

Dental plans are also available.

“I would encourage everybody to come in and see what options are beneficial to them,” Carter said. “It won’t hurt. You can either enroll in it or you can opt out of it.”

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

“I feel that they are going to symbolically repeal Obamacare,” said Teche Action Clinic CEO Gary Wiltz. “There’s going to be a vote like they’ve voted before. The president is going to sign, repealing it.”

But repealing Obamacare isn’t the big issue. Replacing it is, Wiltz said.

“They don’t have anything to replace it with,” Wiltz said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and members of Trump’s team are talking about needing three to four years to implement their plans.

“So they cannot just rip 20 to 22 million people off of insurance,” Wiltz said.

The state’s new Medicaid expansion has helped more residents gain access to health insurance coverage and care.

Since Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the Medicaid expansion, another 305,000 people have been enrolled, Wiltz said.

“Of the 305,000 people, which is tremendous, we’ve already picked up several thousand people that had high blood pressure and about 1,000 people with diabetes,” Wiltz said.

“Technically, a bunch of people that would not have been in the health care system that’s come in and come out with their diagnoses are getting it under controlled.”

About 40 percent of people in the system at Teche Clinic are uninsured, Wiltz said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen to be quite honest,” Wiltz said. “As far as our programs, community health centers, we’ve enjoyed bipartisan support for our whole 50-year history.

“We’re serving close to 28 million people nationwide, about 380,000 in the state of Louisiana. Of course, it’s a combination of Medicaid, Medicare and still a large portion of the uninsured.”

And with bipartisan support, Wiltz sees Teche Clinics being in a strong position to provide the services currently offered.

Taking health insurance coverage away would “be just catastrophic …,” Wiltz said. “I always said that that’s one of the worst things you can do to someone is to give someone something and then take it back.

“That’s one of the cruelest things you can do.”

Wiltz said the president-elect has said a lot of things concerning the healthcare debate but even Trump agrees on this issue ‘you can’t just let people die out in the street.’

In addition to offering clinic services, Teche Action Clinics have pharmacies onsite at which discounted prescriptions are available

Teche Action Clinic is the first and oldest community health center in the state of Louisiana, Wiltz said.

For more information about health insurance coverage or other services, contact Teche Action Clinic in Morgan City at 985-384-2371 or go to www.healthcare.gov.