Health Reform Q&A

In our previous post (click here) we requested your questions about the Health Reform bill. Thank you all for your questions. See below for your questions and our answers.

Q: What is Health Reform?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is a comprehensive bill that reformed health care. It was signed into law in March 2010. It is also known as: The Affordable Care Act (ACA), Obamacare or Health Reform; all of these names refer to this bill.

Q:  I have heard the EDC talk about ‘Parity’ is this different than Health Reform?

Yes, Parity refers to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act and requires that insurers offer the same level of benefits for mental health or substance use disorders that they do for medical treatment. If your health insurance covers medical or surgical coverage, then they must cover mental health disorders at parity.

Q: What part of Health Reform is especially important to the EDC?

A key area that the EDC is monitoring and influencing is the essential health benefits that will be covered by the benchmark plans sold in the state exchanges. Health insurance exchanges will be marketplaces where small businesses and individuals who don’t have health insurance through their employer can purchase health plans. 

As the ACA is implemented and as the Exchanges go live in 2014, it is essential that we ensure that all mental health services are covered at parity and that all levels of care are covered. The first key step for us is enrollment into the Exchanges, which will begin October 1, 2013.

Q: Does Health Reform matter to me?

Certainly, there may be changes that apply to you, personally (mandatory coverage, etc.), but for eating disorders coverage it is important that the exchanges cover eating disorders at parity. See these blog posts for additional details.

Q: Will the EDC continue to update me, on Health Reform?

Yes, of course.

Join the Movement!

This is the EDC’s 12^th year of lobby days. We are an institution on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress and their staff know us. In Washington, we have put eating disorders on the map.  Members of Congress and other national organizations whom are our allies trust us because of the relationships we have built over the years of meetings, briefings, and education we have done on the Hill with you. So join us September 18 and be part of this movement. You can make a difference; you can find your voice!

The Congressional briefing this year will be titled “Fear of Fat and Weight Stigma: Why We Need to Address the Intersection of Obesity and Eating Disorders.” Our panel of speakers will educate you and motivate you to make a difference.

If you haven't lobbied before, don't worry we will train you and prepare you. You'll go to the Hill with confidence and as part of a team. To see how lobby days work click here for our video that explains it all.

Joining us on the Hill is an incredibly empowering experience. You will be able to make your voice heard and make a difference for eating disorders policy. If you’re looking for motivation watch our video ‘I Stand For FREED’ here

Join us. Join the movement! Click here to register now for lobby day.

EDC is Looking for Qualified State Leaders

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be implemented and will have a great impact on health care coverage for people with eating disorders. A key area that we are monitoring and influencing is the essential health benefits that will be covered by the benchmark plans sold in the state exchanges. We’ve released a survey that we conducted of all of fifty states and the District of Columbia’s proposed benchmark plans (see our blog for details). We discovered a wide disparity in the anticipated mental health service coverage between states.

As the ACA is implemented and as the Exchanges go live in 2014, it is essential that we ensure that all mental health services are covered at parity and that all levels of care are covered. The first key step for us is enrollment into the Exchanges, which will begin October 1, 2013.  We realize that this is an especially crucial time to ensure that people with eating disorders are able to receive the treatment and care that they both need and deserve.

If you are interested in becoming a State Leader and helping us influence the implementation of these plans in your state, please email manager@eatingdisorderscoalition.org for more information.