By Patricia Maryland
NNPA News Wire Guest Columnist
The passage of the Affordable Care Act promised to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare services in America—especially for historically disadvantaged communities who suffer high rates of chronic illness.
The ACA has delivered on that promise, but work still remains to ensure all who need health care in the most prosperous nation on earth can receive it. Healthcare.gov is now available for the open enrollment period through January 31, 2016. It’s particularly paramount that members of the African American community take advantage of this opportunity to access the coverage and care they deserve.
Some of the greatest gains in reducing the uninsured have been realized in the African American community, which has seen a 30 percent increase in those with health insurance. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly 8 million African Americans now have access to critical preventive services, including mammograms and flu shots.
The benefit is extended further for adults whose children up to age of 26 can remain on their parent’s health insurance. That includes some 500,000 African Americans.
Now, our focus turns to educating and mobilizing groups where more work needs to be done, in particular with African American males. Within this group, 42 percent suffer from high blood pressure, and Black males are 50 percent more likely to contract lung cancer. These rates are primarily attributed to health disparities and access to care. Thanks to the ACA, this issue can be easily remedied.
For poor and minority communities, cost has always been a major barrier to care. However, access to care is now more broadly available, thanks to an expansion of Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and subsidies for individuals and families. In fact, according to HHS, if more states took advantage of these provisions, upwards of 95 percent of African Americans would qualify. Unfortunately, some states remain reluctant to participate, and so access to coverage is limited to some who need it most.
Another barrier to health insurance is lack of information. Therefore, our job – yours and mine – is to help spread the word about the ease of signing up for insurance using Healthcare.gov. For those who have used the program before, it is important that they review their policy to see if it still meets their needs and fits within their budget. For those would be first-timers, take them by the hand and lead them through the site.
The Affordable Care Act has more than met its goal of revitalizing our healthcare network and making it more accessible and affordable to all Americans. As we make our way through this latest enrollment period, our mission is to ensure more African Americans have the information they need to make informed choices about their health care. We know this will lead to more peace of mind, and by extension, a higher quality of life.
Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, is the President of Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Ascension Health.
