Your Health Care in the New Year

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Looking for new health care coverage for the new year?  Perhaps you’ve never had health insurance before. Or you had a health insurance policy in 2013, but your insurance company did not renew the plan for 2014.  Or maybe you are unhappy with your current coverage and are looking for a health plan that better fits your health care needs.

The health care reform law created new online Marketplaces for you to compare and purchase quality health insurance policies at competitive rates. For your coverage to be effective on January 1^st on a plan offered through the new online Marketplace, you must enroll in a health care plan by Monday, December 23^rd. 

While you must apply and select a plan by December 23^rd for coverage that begins on January 1, 2014, you can still select a plan on HealthCare.gov until March 31, 2014, with the expectation that coverage will begin about a month after you purchase your coverage.  Beginning in 2014, the health care reform law requires nearly every American to have health care coverage, with a few exceptions.

I encorage you to visit HealthCare.gov to compare plans and shop for health coverage on the new online Marketplace.  By filling out an application for coverage on HealthCare.gov, you can learn if you are eligible for Medicaid or cost-sharing assistance to help you and your family cover the cost of your monthly premiums. Thousands of New Jerseyans have already successfully applied for and selected coverage on the new online Marketplace, including me. 

Click here to connect with an application counselor you can meet with in person to help walk you through the process, or call the healthcare hotline number at 1-800-318-2596.   If you are business owner, you may be interested to learn about additional important provisions and resources regarding providing health care coverage for your employees. For more information on health care reform, please visit my website  and other resources such as the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation and Commonweath Fund.

The Air We Breathe

All Americans have a shared stake in the air we breathe.  Toxic emissions in one state are inevitably carried on the wind across state boundaries:  New Jersey's air, for instance, bears emissions from the coal-burning Homer City Generating Station in western Pennsylvania.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule -- a plan to restrict cross-state emissions which they estimate would save up to 34,000 lives and prevent 15,000 non-fatal heart attacks every year.  But the Homer City Generating Station has struck back in court, challenging the EPA’s authority to enforce the rule.

Under the Clean Air Act, states are given primary responsibility to regulate emissions, but when states fail to meet air quality standards, including when upwind states fail to limit air pollution affecting downwind states, the EPA has the authority to intervene. In this case the EPA is seeking to regulate air pollution across multiple states, but this is legally complicated because it is difficult to determine upwind states’ relative contributions to air quality in downwind states.

Last week the case made its way to the Supreme Court, and a decision is expected soon.  You can track the progress of this case online at here and find a recap of arguments here. 

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

President Obama's Weekly Address 10/26/13 : Enrolling in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama discussed the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace for the Affordable Care Act, which gives millions of Americans the opportunity to have access to affordable and reliable healthcare—many for the first time.

Reckless and Undemocratic

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Today, outrageously, our government is closed. Here’s the most important fact about this shutdown: It is not really about funding the government.

Democrats and Republicans have agreed on a short-term funding level for the federal government. That level is painful for Democrats, as it requires severe cuts in government services – to levels lower even than Paul Ryan first proposed. But I, along with almost all Congressional Democrats, am willing to accept this outcome temporarily to keep our country running.

Yet the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party in the House insists they will block any funding bill unless it includes the de facto repeal of health reform.

Perhaps you support health reform; perhaps you do not. But this much is certain: It was duly enacted, and the Tea Party lacks the votes to repeal it by ordinary, democratic means.

So they are trying a reckless, undemocratic alternative. By shutting down the government and threatening to default on America’s debts, they hope to cause so much pain that Congress and the President will be forced to bend to their will.

But if one faction of one party can overturn any duly passed law at will, what will their next demand be? The privatization of Medicare? Tax cuts for millionaires? The abolition of the minimum wage or the Department of Education? Perhaps, if you are a conservative Republican, these policy changes appeal to you, but bear in mind that an insurgent liberal faction could use the same leverage to demand policies you would despise.

If this strategy succeeds and is legitimated, then the U.S. will become essentially ungovernable. Our public policy will be determined, not by the consent of the people, but by the willingness of minority factions to inflict pain to achieve their ends.

That must not happen. And this outrageous behavior is why we should not say that “Congress” has caused this shutdown, for to do so allows the blameworthy to escape blame. We should hold accountable the reckless few who are trying to break our democracy.

Understanding the Health Reform Law

Despite the government shutdown, the health reform law continues to move forward. On Tuesday, the new federal health insurance Marketplace opened at HealthCare.gov, enabling New Jerseyans to compare and purchase comprehensive insurance options and even qualify for subsidies to help cover the costs of their insurance plans.

I have added a new section of my website dedicated to health reform, including answers to frequently asked questions about the law: What is the Marketplace? What are the differences between bronze, silver, gold, and platinum plans available in the Marketplace? Do you need to take any action if you already have insurance through your employer or Medicare?

The answers to these and many other questions are available online. Of course, if you find that your question is not answered, please do not hesitate to contact me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT or by sending an e-mail through my website.

A Parable (With Thanks to Rep. Mike Doyle)

As the Affordable Care Act rolls out, I expect we will see some changes that should be made in the law to make it work better. That is true with any major law. And that is something everyone – including the President and the Democrats in Congress – agree on. There should be and can be discussions – civil, constructive discussions – within accepted legislative procedures. So too on the budget. Those who have shut the government wrongly say the Democrats won’t negotiate.

A gang corners a man and says, “We are going to burn your house down.” “No, you’re not,” says the man.

The gang says, “OK, then, we are going to burn the second floor of your house.” “No, you’re not,” says the man.

The gang says, “OK, then, we are going to burn several rooms of your house.” “No, you’re not,” says the man.

The gang leader says, “What’s wrong with you? You won’t negotiate.”

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Rep. Pallone: Millions More Americans Now Have Access to Health Care

Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released the following statement today, October 1, 2013 on the opening of the health insurance Marketplaces as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

“This is the first day in American history when the uninsured are guaranteed the opportunity to sign up for affordable health insurance. Starting today, everyone, not just the healthy, employed or wealthy, can go online and get covered. Health insurance is no longer a privilege, it is a right.


“In the Marketplaces, New Jerseyans will be able to see all of their health insurance options – including the new discounted plans that fit their needs. All in one place, all explained simply. Also never again will a hardworking New Jerseyan be denied health coverage for a pre-existing condition and won’t worry about hitting their annual or lifetime limit on coverage, and no women will pay a higher rate than a man.


“With the online Marketplace, more New Jerseyans will be able to take full advantage of the many benefits of the ACA. Because of the Affordable Care Act, 105 million Americans have already received access to free preventive services, 6.6 million seniors have saved more than $7 billion on their prescription drugs, and more than 100 million Americans have benefited from no longer having a lifetime limit on their coverage. The Marketplaces opening today marks just one more part of the ACA that millions of Americans will benefit from.”

The open enrollment period for the first year of the Marketplaces runs from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.

New Jerseyans looking for health coverage should go to www.healthcare.gov and by putting in their state and zip code, they will be able to see and compare plans and premiums in our part of the state. If constituents have questions about the Marketplace, they can call 1-800-318-2596, a toll-free hotline open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

84 Percent

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

These days, almost no one can afford to pay the full cost of college.

In fact, about 84 percent of full-time college undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. About 56 percent take out student loans – on average, taking on $8,100 a year in debt. Even among students whose families earn more than $100,000 a year, about 46 percent take out student loans.

Congressman Rush Holt

These figures were revealed this week in a new federal survey of student aid. Taken as a whole, the report shows that America is failing to make higher education affordable and accessible for every student.

Fixing the problem will require a major overhaul of our nation’s education policy – but in the meantime, we can at least help make student loan debt as manageable as possible.

Although Congress passed and the President signed a new law this month making student loan interest rates somewhat lower for now, the same law allows for rates to go far higher in the future. Congress can and should take the obvious step further and set interest rates much lower. Together with others in the House and Senate, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, I’ve co-sponsored legislation that would cut the interest rate on federal student loans to just 0.75 percent – the same rate the government charges Wall Street banks to borrow money.

Would You Turn Down $8 Million?

In February 2012, the federal government essentially wrote New Jersey a check for $7.67 million. The aim? To help our state establish an online marketplace so that New Jerseyans can shop for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Unfortunately, Gov. Christie, driven by his party’s reflexive opposition to the health reform law, refused to establish such a marketplace – handing the task over to the federal government instead. In doing so, he left New Jersey at risk of losing these millions of dollars in federal aid.

Earlier this month, I wrote to Gov. Christie urging him to use the funds now to help uninsured New Jerseyans understand their rights under the new health reform law, and to help small businesses understand how the law affects them. With just 39 days until the new insurance marketplace opens for enrollment, we cannot waste any time in helping New Jerseyans understand their health care options.

The governor has until February 20, 2014 to use the money before it could be revoked. He should not allow his party’s irrational hostility to health reform to prevent him from using these funds to improve the lives of New Jerseyans....


Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress