Affordable Care Act Toolkit for Nonprofit Allies

Transcription

1 Affordable Care Act Toolkit for Nonprofit Allies We prepared this toolkit of materials for you to consider including as you craft your messages about health care reform and how the Affordable Care Act impacts charitable nonprofits. This toolkit contains: page A template message for your newsletters: FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and charitable nonprofits 3 Social media sample messages 4 A sample message about the mandatory notice that applies to all employers 5 A sample message about enrollment in the SHOP/Marketplace for small nonprofits (50 or fewer employees) 5 Videos, widgets, and infographics to put on your website and embed in messages 6 Schedule of upcoming webinars from HHS and SBA to share with your members 6 An invitation to your members to become a Champion for Coverage 8 Sample messages from State Associations that inform members about programs and resources about the Affordable Care Act 9 1

2 Federal Government General Resources Health Insurance Marketplace General information about the Health Insurance Marketplace for either individuals seeking information about coverage or employers seeking information about purchasing health insurance. Website offers links to official resources, research, news, and events hosted by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). Marketplace Updates Information on how to sign up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, including text message and updates Fact Sheets Choose your state to learn more about the immediate benefits of the Affordable Care Act. Fact sheets on the Affordable Care Act and coverage as it applies to certain populations have been prepared by the federal government: African Americans ACA Fact Sheet American Indians/Alaska Natives ACA Fact Sheet Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ACA Fact Sheet Latinos ACA Fact Sheet New toll-free telephone numbers and live chats for questions on the Affordable Care Act There are now four toll-free telephone numbers to answer questions about the health care law. The Health Insurance Marketplace telephone number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: , TTY: The Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) telephone number is available for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The telephone number is available Monday - Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm: , TTY: HealthCare.gov also has a help center with interactive ways to get answers to your questions. This includes a live chat in English and Spanish, and a 24-hour phone line that s available in 150 languages. Resources available to the public from the National Council of Nonprofits When it was apparent that the federal government was not creating messages about the Affordable Care Act with a nonprofit audience in mind, the National Council of Nonprofits created these resources that we encourage you to share with your audiences if that would be useful: Nonprofit Knowledge Matters - Special issue on the Affordable Care Act/Tax Credit for nonprofits that your organization can link to or use the text of with attribution. Affordable Care Act and Nonprofits Affordable Care Act FAQs Small Employer Health Care Tax Credit Affordable Care Act Notice Requirement FAQs 2

3 Template to share with your members FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and Charitable Nonprofits Myth: The Affordable Care Act will require our nonprofit to provide health insurance coverage for our employees. Reality: While the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) has changed the way everyone will access health insurance coverage, charitable nonprofits (as with all employers) still have a choice whether or not to offer health insurance coverage to employees. The ACA does not mandate that employers provide insurance coverage for employees. However, board members and staff leaders of charitable nonprofits even those without employees still need to understand how the ACA will affect the nonprofit workplace. Nonprofits without employees: Individuals served by your nonprofit may have questions about the Affordable Care Act and how to access health insurance and changes to Medicaid. Your nonprofit can serve as a resource and refer those with questions to the federal government: Insurance finder Choose your state to learn more about how the Affordable Care Act will affect citizens in our state HealthCare.gov also has a help center with interactive ways to get answers to your questions. This includes a live chat in English and Spanish, and a 24-hour phone line that s available in 150 languages. All nonprofits can share information about insurance coverage: Insurance Finder (Healthcare.gov) The Health Care Law Helps the Whole Family (Infographic) Key Features of the Affordable Care Act (Infographic) Give notice! All nonprofits with staff have an obligation under the ACA to let their employees know about the options available to their employees to access health insurance. As the nation gets used to a new system of health insurance delivery, lawmakers wanted to make sure that all Americans know that they are eligible to access health insurance through the Marketplace. So, one of the ACA s provisions requires ALL EMPLOYERS to inform all employees of the options available to them for accessing health insurance. This means that nonprofit employers must provide NOTICE to existing employees by October 1, and notice to all newly-hired employees starting October 1, You can find sample notices in English and Spanish at: Fact Sheet on the Notice requirement (National Council of Nonprofits) Model Notice for employers who offer a health plan to some or all employees en español Model Notice for employers who do not offer a health plan en español A refund may be available: Is your small nonprofit (under 25 employees) eligible for a refund on the premiums it has paid for health insurance for employees? Learn about the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit One pager on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit (National Council of Nonprofits) For larger employers, even more changes will be effective starting in 2015: Employers with 50+ full time equivalents that do NOT offer health insurance coverage to their employees will be subject to penalties under the shared employer responsibility provisions of the ACA. To help your nonprofit 3

4 and board members understand how the ACA will impact your nonprofit, the National Council of Nonprofits has developed these website resources: Key provisions of the ACA and how they affect charitable nonprofits, small and large. Frequently asked questions about how the ACA affects charitable nonprofits. Sample Social Media Messages about How the Affordable Care Act affects Nonprofits Follow the National Council of Nonprofits on Facebook and Twitter for updates to either retweet or share. Facebook: The best use for Facebook is probably to post information about upcoming informative webinars, and share videos and info graphics about the Affordable Care Act, especially those that explain how to enroll in the Marketplace. Tweets about the Affordable Care Act - FAQs #Healthcare demystified for #nonprofit employers. #ACA Is your small #nonprofit ready to SHOP? Create your #nonprofit's marketplace account for health insurance Tweets about the employee notification requirement #Nonprofits read about a requirement to give notice to employees under the #ACA #Nonprofits must provide notice to employees by 10/1 about health #insurance under new #ACA requirement Tweets about the Tax Credit Small #nonprofit? Pay for your employees' health insurance? There may be a cash refund in your future! Is your #nonprofit missing out on a tax refund? Find out how your organization can benefit at Psst! Your #nonprofit may be refund-eligible if it has been paying health insur premiums for employees! IRS refund for small #nonprofits that pay at least 50% of health insurance premiums for staff! Learn about it 4

5 Sample message for newsletter or website Affordable Care Act Notice Requirement for ALL EMPLOYERS Did you know that the Affordable Care Act requires all employers to provide a notice to employees about the availability of health insurance through the Marketplaces that also informs them about subsidies that may be available to help pay for health insurance? Employers, whether or not they provide health insurance, must provide all employees with a Notice to Employees of Coverage Options by October 1, The notice lets employees know that they might have affordable coverage available to them through the Exchange/Marketplace. Organizations will need to customize the notice by including some employer specific information before giving the notice to all employees. More information: Sample notices: For employers who offer a health plan to some or all employees: English Español For employers who do not offer a health plan: English Español Fact Sheet on the Notice Requirement (National Council of Nonprofits) Sample Message about Enrollment in the Marketplace for small nonprofit employers (50 or fewer employees) The Affordable Care Act does not require your small nonprofit to purchase health insurance, but if it does, there will be new choices for coverage starting in January You can learn about those choices by enrolling your small nonprofit (50 or fewer employees) in the Health Insurance Marketplace where it will have access to learn about plan choices as soon as October 1, Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace begins on October 1, but in the meantime your nonprofit can get a jump on things by creating a Health Insurance Marketplace account on HealthCare.gov to get ready. You won t be able to start your application for Marketplace insurance until October 1. But by creating an account now you ll be one step closer to applying for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace, comparing plans side-by-side, and enrolling in a plan. How to create a Health Insurance Marketplace account for your nonprofit: 1. Go to the Healthcare.gov website to create a Marketplace account. 2. Choose your state. Provide basic information, such as like your nonprofit s name, address, and an address where you d like to receive future updates. 3. Choose a username and password for your nonprofit s account. 4. Create security questions for added protection. By enrolling your nonprofit can learn about health insurance policy options and apply for coverage as soon as October 1, And - before then, don t forget to provide the required notice to employees by October 1, 2013, about their options for health insurance coverage. Questions about enrolling in the Marketplace? Call , 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users should call Videos, widgets, and infographics on the Affordable Care Act 5

6 Videos HHS videos that can be used to educate audiences about the Marketplace application and enrollment process. Marketplace.cms.gov has training materials and presentations, slides, speaker notes, and Spanish language materials on the Health Insurance Marketplace. Videos are also available explaining the Health Insurance Marketplace, the value of health insurance and stories of people who don t have health insurance but who would be helped by the health care law. Video from the Kaiser Family Foundation: The YouToons Get Ready for Obamacare: Health Insurance Changes Coming Your Way Under the Affordable Care Act. This video offers a basic explanation of health care reform. Widgets Infographics on the Health Care Law Infographics are a helpful tool to share information about the health care law. They can be easily tweeted and shared with others. Info-graphics produced by HHS include: 3 Ways the Affordable Care Act is Increasing Access to Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Services The AAPI Community and the Affordable Care Act Affordable Care Act is on Track African Americans and the Affordable Care Act Health Centers: Affordable Care for All A Health Law for the Whole Family How does Arizona benefit from the health law? How the Marketplace Works Key Features of the Affordable Care Act Know someone uninsured? Latinos and the Affordable Care Act Play Hard: the health law has you covered Starting a family? Texas and the Affordable Care Act Thanks health law! Well-child visits Upcoming Webinars on the Affordable Care Act Webinars on the Marketplace/SHOP in September 2013 Four different webinars are available from CMS in September for an audience of individuals and small businesses that will focus on health insurance coverage through the Marketplace: September 5, 11, 19, and 25. Schedule and links to registration. Instructions to share with your audiences about all webinars described below that are hosted by HHS: To participate in one of the webinars, please select your preferred topic from the list below and submit the necessary information. Please click on the title of the webinar and fill out the registration form. After registering you will receive an confirmation containing information about joining the webinar. Please contact HHS at ACA101@hhs.gov if you have problems registering or if you have any questions about the health care law. Webinar audio will be delivered over the Internet (VOIP) and will play through your computer speakers, or you can stream audio 6

7 from a mobile device (smart phone or tablet). If you can t play the audio through your computer, e- mail: training@cms.hhs.gov to make other arrangements. All webinars are one hour. Nonprofits: Remember that nonprofits are considered businesses and treated just like any other employer for purposes of the Affordable Care Act. The Basics: For any audience The Health Care Law - Health Insurance Marketplace 101 September 10 at 4:00 pm ET A presentation on the main provisions in the health care law (the Affordable Care Act) and how to access care in your community. Topics include the Health Insurance Marketplace, how to enroll in health insurance, and how to receive updates on implementation of the law. A brief question and answer session will provide answers to commonly asked questions. Please send any questions to ACA101@hhs.gov prior to September 10 at noon ET. Understanding the Health Insurance Marketplace September 17 at 7:00 pm ET (special evening session) This webinar is for those who help people make informed health coverage decisions. The webinar includes a detailed review of the Marketplace (Exchanges), includes eligibility, enrollment, plan structure, Medicaid expansion, and the streamlined application. This session covers many of the same topics as the Health Insurance Marketplace 101 session, but it is provided in more depth. For nonprofits with 50 or fewer employees: Learn more about how your small nonprofit can offer employee health insurance starting in 2014 through the Marketplace (SHOP) Program September 19, pm ET Did you know that small nonprofits can purchase health insurance through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP)? Webinars from HHS can tell you what you need to know. Just remember that small nonprofits are small businesses for purposes of the Affordable Care Act. For individuals (nonprofits can share this information with their employees/volunteers, board members and consumers/clients): How to Enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace October 8 at 4:00 pm ET Are you ready for the health care law, what some may know as Obamacare, health reform or the Affordable Care Act? We will explain the health care law, show you how to enroll in health insurance and answer your questions. Open enrollment starts on October 1, 2013 and ends on March 31, Health insurance will be available for every American as a result of the health care law. Please send any questions to ACA101@hhs.gov prior to October 8 at noon ET. How to Enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace October 16 at 7:00 pm ET (special evening session) Are you ready for the health care law, what some may know as Obamacare, health reform or the Affordable Care Act? We will explain the health care law, show you how to enroll in health insurance and answer your questions. Open enrollment starts on October 1, 2013 and ends on March 31, Health insurance will be available for every American as a result of the health care law. Please send any questions to ACA101@hhs.gov prior to October 16 at noon ET. Invite your members to become a Champion for Coverage Organization. (Your organization might want to become a Champion for Coverage too!) Sample Message 7

8 Become a Champion for Coverage Become a Champion for Coverage and help make sure all Americans can get the health care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. National and state organizations can become Champions for Coverage. To take advantage of the new, online Health Insurance Marketplace, millions of uninsured Americans need to know about it and sign up. The federal government needs help from the public and private sectors to let people know about these new benefits and get them enrolled. Ways your organization can be a Champion for Coverage: 1. Send your partners/members/customers to the official consumer sources to learn about the Marketplace and get coverage: HealthCare.gov CuidadoDeSalud.gov 24/7 Consumer Call Center: Send an to your network about the Marketplace. 3. Post the HealthCare.gov and/or CuidadoDeSalud.gov widget on your website. 4. Hang posters and/or give out fact sheets and brochures about the Marketplace. 5. Host a conference call, webinar, or another educational event about the Marketplace. 6. Include a story about the Marketplace in your organizational newsletter or other publication. 7. Record and send out a public service announcement about the Marketplace. 8. Have your staff/members learn about the Marketplace in educational sessions. 9. Connect with your partners/members/customers through official Marketplace social media channels to share their stories: 10. Provide space for enrollment sessions or fairs (ideally, with computers so people can check out the Marketplace online). How can my organization become a Champion for Coverage? First, take action post the Marketplace widget, send an message, or more. If you're interested in being publically recognized as an official Champion for Coverage, organization, fill out the HHS online form. If you have questions, send an to champion@cms.hhs.gov. Sample Messages about Programs for Members on the Affordable Care Act State Associations are partnering with state experts as well as insurance providers to provide programs for their audiences. Others are making sure their websites link to state-specific resources about the Affordable Care Act and health insurance coverage in their state. Below are some recent 8

9 examples of State Association messages and webpages about programs they are hosting to educate and inform members and not-yet-members about the Affordable Care Act /health insurance in their states. Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits (August 21, 2013) CalNonprofits: Home page messaging as well as webinar for nonprofits with 50 or fewer employees (August 27, 2013) Colorado Nonprofit Association (website resources) Massachusetts Providers Council (August 20, 2013) Montana Nonprofit Association (August 22, 2013) Nonprofit Association of Oregon (website resources) 9