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For Those Who Lost Their Employer Funded Health Insurance Resources Are Available
Because of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic, 25–43 million people could lose their jobs and their health insurance. People who had a serious illness before the outbreak and job loss could be dealt a literally fatal blow. Others who had symptoms and even serious accidents while unemployed and without insurance could suffer more than they would have if their insurance were in place. But there are resources available as described this week on the Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast. To learn more, go to www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org. To hear about this on Dr. Goldstein’s podcast, please visit: Job Losses Equal Employer Funded Health Insurance Loss.
- Testing for the Coronavirus/Covid-19 illness: testing for the Coronavirus/Covid-19 virus is free. But if the test is positive and you have the virus, the treatment for it can get expensive. Fortunately, most people recover at home. However, an estimated 15% of infected people may end up hospitalized, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Recent data suggests that patients who go to intensive care stay there for an average of 20 days. The Castlight Covid-19 test site finder will provide information on Coronavirus testing near you: https://my.castlighthealth.com/corona-virus-testing-sites/.
- The Health Insurance Exchange: Open enrollment typically runs from November to January, depending on the state in which you live. But people are allowed a change in coverage when experiencing a life altering event. One such event is the loss of a job and employer sponsored health insurance. You can shop for health plans through your state’s insurance marketplace. But don’t wait around, there are 30 to 60 days to sign up after a qualifying life event before the end of that special enrollment period. Go to this link and find out if you qualify for coverage: https://www.healthcare.gov.
- Medicaid: Medicaid provides health coverage for some low-income people, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities in all fifty states. In some states the program covers all low-income adults below a certain income level. But do not assume that you do or do not qualify. There are online resources available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services along with state references to guide you. Visit the official U.S. government Medicaid site to see of you are eligible: https://www.medicaid.gov.
- CHIP: CHIP stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program. If your children need health coverage, they may be eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). CHIP provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid. In some states, CHIP covers pregnant women. Each state offers CHIP coverage and works closely with its state Medicaid program. Get all the details, go to: https://www.healthcare.gov/medicaid-chip/childrens-health-insurance-program/.
- Faith Based Cooperatives: Faith-based plans are designed to provide essential coverage for the good health and physical well-being of their members. In return they expect members to live faith-based lives in adherence to the principles behind such plans. As such, faith-based plans will not cover hospital costs that stem from activities they deem immoral or unessential. Faith based plans most often share expenses among members. Each member pays a monthly premium. When one of the members becomes ill or needs treatment for an injury, his or her contributions cover the expenses, in conjunction with the collective input of fellow members. As such, the premiums are lower in comparison to those of traditional health care. These operate with exemptions to the mandates of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care. There are several options. Here are a few:Medi-Share, Liberty HealthShare, Samaritan Ministries, OneShare, Christian Healthcare Ministries.
This is not an exhaustive list for those who lost their employer funded health insurance but is some go the most popular ones that are available.
About Houston Healthcare Initiative And Dr. Steven Goldstein
Dr. Steven Goldstein is a Houston based neurologist. He founded the Houston Healthcare Initiative and is an advocate for common sense solutions to the healthcare crisis that confronts the citizens and residents of the United States of America.