DECEMBER 12, 2014
Erin’s Law & Healthcare Enrollment
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am very excited to announce that I will be pre-filing legislation to enact Erin’s Law during the 29th Legislative Session. Last session, Erin’s Law had over 20 co-sponsors, as well as support from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. Erin and I also received widespread support from teachers, parents, and child abuse survivors.
Erin’s Law has already passed in 19 states to give children the tools to identify and protect themselves from child abuse. The law is named after Erin Merryn, a child sexual abuse survivor who has dedicated her adult life to getting this legislation passed in all 50 states.
Passage of “Erin’s Law” would require school districts in Alaska to develop and implement an age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention curricula that educates children about personal body safety. School districts would also be required to provide training for staff and administrators to recognize the signs of abuse.
Nationally, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. In 2013 alone, the Alaska Office of Children’s Services received 2,296 allegations of child sexual assault. The Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board implemented “Erin’s Policy” this summer, to create a district-wide version of Erin’s Law. This is a wonderful first step to battle the high numbers of child sexual abuse in Alaska, and will provide guidance to other school districts implementing similar policies on their own or with the passage of Erin’s Law Statewide.
Health Insurance for Alaskans
OPEN ENROLLMENT ENDS MONDAY, DECEMBER 15th! SIGN UP TODAY!!
How Do I Enroll Myself and My Family in Health Insurance?
Alaskans can sign up through Healthcare.gov (https://www.healthcare.gov) or 1-800-318-2596 or call 2-1-1 to connect with enrollment information and professional assistance.
How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Alaska:
From: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/bystate/ak.html
• Under the health care law, if your plan covers children, you can now add or keep your children on your health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old. Thanks to this provision, 9,000 young adults in Alaska who would otherwise have been uninsured have gained coverage.
• As many as 43,371 non-elderly Alaskans have some type of pre-existing health condition. Today, most insurers can no longer deny coverage to anyone because of a pre-existing condition, like asthma or diabetes, under the health care law. And they can no longer charge women more because of their gender.
• Health insurance companies now have to spend at least 80 cents of your premium dollar on health care or improvements to care, rather than administrative costs like salaries or marketing, or they have to provide you a refund. This means that 11,431 Alaskans with private insurance coverage benefited from $3,062,042 in refunds from insurance companies, for an average refund of $388 per family because of the Affordable Care Act.
• Because of the Affordable Care Act, 172,000 Alaskans with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing. And women can now get coverage without cost-sharing of even more preventive services they need.
• The Affordable Care Act increases the funding available to community health centers nationwide. Health Center grantees in Alaska have received $95,041,978 under the health care law to offer a broader array of primary care services, extend their hours of operations, hire more providers, and renovate or build new clinical spaces.
Choosing a Plan:
Beginning November 15, you will be able to choose a new health plan for 2015 (or decide to keep your current plan). There are important considerations when choosing a plan. Only you can make the final decision on what choice is right for you and your family, but there is help available to make a more informed decision.
Navigators, Certified Application Counselors, and insurance agents and brokers are all available and eager to help you choose the best plan for you for 2015.
There are several important things to consider when you compare Marketplace plans:
• Plan category: There are 5 categories of Marketplace insurance plans: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Catastrophic. Plans in these categories differ based on how you and the plan share the costs of your care. The categories have nothing to do with the amount or quality of care you get.
• Monthly premiums: This is the amount you pay your insurance company for your plan, usually monthly, whether you use medical services or not.
• Out-of-pocket costs: These include the costs you pay before your insurance begins to pay its share (your deductible, copayments, coinsurance, and your out-of-pocket maximum).
• Type of insurance plan and provider network: Some types of plans allow you to see almost any doctor or health care facility. Others limit your choices to a network of doctors and facilities, or require you to pay more if you use providers outside the network.
• Benefits: All plans sold through the Marketplace provide the same essential health benefits and cover pre-existing conditions and offer free preventive services. But some plans offer additional benefits.
Sincerely,
Representative Geran Tarr
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