First Health Care Provisions Take Effect: A Resource Guide

September 29, 2010

by Carlos Macías

We all remember the political showdown between Democrats and Republicans on health care reform 6 months ago. In a tight vote of 219 to 212 on March 21, the House of Representatives approved the controversial legislation. On March 23, President Obama signed H. R. 3590, better known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and it became the law of the land.

Six months later, new regulations for health insurance companies and new rights for consumers are taking effect. Remember, this law affects almost every one living in this country now and for generations to come. So it is important for you to know how this new set of regulations affects you, your family, and your business. The following is a run down of the provisions:

Measures affecting all insurance plans:

• Young adults up to the age of 26 can remain on or return to their parents’ health insurance.
• Insurance companies cannot cancel your policy without proving fraud. This means that a mistake made on your application by you or your employer is no longer ground to terminate your coverage.
• No more lifetime limits on benefits. If your coverage was dropped because you reached your plan’s limit, you will have the option to rejoin the plan as soon as the new enrollment period for the plan begins (usually at the beginning of each calendar year).
• Plans cannot deny payment or give you a hard time for any out-of-network emergency room visits.

Changes for all new and renewed health insurance plans that take effect after September 23rd, but not for “grandfathered” plans: (Grandfathered plans refers to insurance plans purchased before September 23)

• Children with pre-existent conditions like asthma cannot be denied benefits (up to the age of 19).
• Limits on annual spending costs will gradually disappear over the next three years.
• Insurers must offer free health screenings, vaccinations, and preventive services to detect diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol among others.

Consumers also earned new rights:

• Now you can challenge any coverage rejections or denials on new plans only (not grandfathered).
• Patients will be able to appeal any denial and the health care provider must explain in a clear manner how to proceed.
• All new plans are now required to allow appeals to an external independent reviewer.
• You no longer need a referral to choose a pediatrician or OB/GYN specialist. Also, you must be able to handpick your primary care doctor within your plan’s network.
• If you have been uninsured for six months and have a pre-existent condition, you are now able to apply for a pre-existent condition insurance plan.

For small business owners with up to 25 employees, tax credits are now available to help them purchase insurance benefits for their workers making up to $50,000 per year.

In the year 2014, a new insurance marketplace for health plans will start operating in each state. Also, new tax incentives and subsidies to buy health insurance will be unveiled. Medicaid coverage will be extended to an additional 13 million people and the prescription drug coverage program is expected to improve significantly by the year 2020.

Resources in English:

• Government’s health care website
• New Patient’s Bill of Rights
• Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan website
• Webpage dedicated to small employers
• AARP’s resource on health care reform
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers a chart (PDF) on how provisions will be offered and when
• Consumer Reports offers an online hub with plenty of information and a brochure (PDF) for download
• Kaiser Permanente Foundation’s detailed summary on new health care law
• In an interactive feature, The New York Times chronicles a reform that took almost 100 years in the making
• For businesses and health care companies, Deloitte offers many resources and insight

Recursos en español:

• Página de Internet del gobierno
• Nueva Acta de los Derechos del Paciente
• Página de Internet acerca del Plan de Seguro para una Condición Pre-Existente
• Guía sobre la reforma a la salud de AARP y Un comunicado (PDF) explica lo que esta nueva ley significa para los Hispanos en U.S.A.
• Consumer Reports ofrece un folleto (PDF) con los puntos más esenciales de las nuevas reglas sobre la reforma a las leyes de salud

(Photo caption: President Barack Obama’s signature on the health insurance reform bill at the White House, March 23, 2010. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Original article was published on the Being Latino blog.

The Battle Against Racism Starts From Within

September 15, 2010

by Carlos Macías

This is my first contribution to Being Latino. Like many of my new colleagues who chip in here every week, pride for our roots and optimism about our future is what compels me to join this conversation. On my daily commute, sometimes I hear other Latinos refer to Mexicans or other Latinos with indigenous background with such revulsion, that it sincerely, makes me sad. We should stop for a minute or two, and ask ourselves if sometimes we contribute to this climate of fear-mongering and abuse against our people by using words like “wetbacks,” “beaner” or simply “these damn Mexicans.” Although we all may feel united in the crusade against racism and discrimination, I am convinced that more should be done at the personal level.

Our indigenous Latinos belong to our culture, and quite frankly, they embellish it. Despite our origins, we all share a common denominator: either we or our parents or grandparents came to America with the idea of finding a better future and a way to help our families. Some of us got the opportunity to attend college; others specialize in construction; others in the food industry, and others know how to work in farms, rippingthe fruits from the earth so we can eat abundantly year-round. We distinguish ourselves from other immigrant groups for being resourceful, hard-working and by our constant displays of happiness. We’ll do anything to earn our daily living: from improvising a tamales hot spot using a shopping cart right outside of the train station to starting our own restaurants; becoming success stories all around.

However, the deep cultural differences between our cultures cannot be ignored, including American-born Latinos who have their unique blend of cultural flavors. These differences should not be used to justify denigrating our own people. This assessment follows the same reasoning behind campaigns done by many civil rights groups against the use of words like “n**ger,” “f**got,” or any derogatory terms by anyone. We should embrace our rich cultural heritage and learn to love (if you don’t already) our Latinos with Aztec, Inca, Taino, Chibcha, Aymara and Mapuche backgrounds among others. Bottom line: I feel proud of mi gente. Do you?

PS. I would like to share with you a photo essay called The Magnificent Migrants produced by Mexican photographer Dulce Pinzón and featured by Foreignpolicy.com.

(Photo by Dulce Pinzón, a photographer working in Mexico and New York)

Original article was published on the Being Latino blog.

Laura Palau: Happiness Inc

September 9, 2010

By Carlos Macías

The act of smiling involves 12 facial muscles working in unison to produce a universal gesture that opens doors in a way that no other human sign can. It can convey love, kindness, or optimism to anyone that crosses your path in a split second. The power of smiling is limitless. In PorColombia, we have someone who knows how to harness the power of a single smile and gracefully multiply it with infusions of Colombian swagger into outbursts of joy. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to meet the CEO of Happiness Inc., Laura Palau.

Laura was born from a couple of Colombian professionals that migrated from Bucaramanga to New Hampshire. Her father is an architect and her mother works as a medical translator and interpreter. She has a younger brother who just turned 18 years old and is now a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) freshman. They are her best friends and biggest fans. After finishing high school, she studied her undergraduate years at New York University (NYU) where she was a founding member of our NYU chapter; she started working for AOL in NYC as an intern to then after graduation make the big move over to the West Coast and work for MySpace Latino. She later accepted a gig in Los Angeles as Digital Sales Planner for ImpreMedia. But something was missing, and not even the West Hollywood glamour could complete the picture for her. In her own words, “it was time to pick up and go.”

Laura is a river of joy and after chatting with her for a while you begin to doubt the idea that happiness is ephemeral. She breathes, wears, and speaks happiness with such ease that it makes you wish that if this is a contagious condition, you want to get infected without delay. But what makes Laura so happy? As her mother Margarita Tobar says, “[Laura] has a sweet character, she enjoys everything, from the biggest to the tinniest things in life. Life smiles at her because she always smiles back.” Her former boss, publisher of Vista Magazine and Senior Vice President of Digital Sales at ImpreMedia Digital Liz Sarachek thinks, “Laura is an eternal optimist with a warm and bubbly personality which is contagious and refreshing. She always came across very positive with solutions for our clients’ needs both internally and externally.”

Besides her outgoing personality, her affection for Colombia is what makes her glow brighter. When you ask Laura, “What does Colombia mean to you?”, she gets both nervous and spirited, and says (all these while smiling): “My pulse is galloping just thinking about it. Colombia? País bello, tierra querida de mi corazón, con su flora, su fauna, su gente, su música y pasión.” (Colombia? Beautiful country, beloved land of my heart, with its flora, fauna, its people, its music and passion). Despite her sporadic visits to Colombia, Laura’s love for the country of her parents has become her dominant cultural identity. “I love to be part of it, it is an integral part of me,” Laura says.

This is the reason why she was one of the founding members of our current chapter at NYU.  “For me, joining PC was a no-brainer,” Laura says. She thanks her tenure as a student member of PC because this time helped her to learn much more about Colombia, make lifetime friends, and put Colombia on the map at NYU. “My advice for all freshmen in any chapter at PC is the following: Take advantage of as many networking events as you can, make PC your prime extracurricular activity, and volunteer for any of the leadership positions available. You will not regret it,” Laura adds.

In her constant search for nirvana, Laura decided to quit her job in L.A in August and book a flight to the land of passion. Vacation? Nope. The time was right for her to go to Colombia, look for a job and finally make one of her dearest dreams come true: To officially live in Colombia for the first time. As a professional Latina, she feels that her connection with her Colombian roots gives her an edge at the work place. “Being Latina has never been challenging for me, I think maybe the opposite, it has helped my career a lot in digital marketing,” Laura says, now as a PC alumni.

Before leaving for Bogotá, she shared 3 tips to help us on our way to happiness:

1. Be your own best friend. You must be comfortable in your skin and be happy with yourself.
2. Keep family close and make them your best friends.
3. Celebrate and delight in the tinniest beauties, in the small things that may look normal but always carry good meaning.