Cecilia Sรกenz
Becerra is the field organizer with Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need.
She works with RWV’s state partners throughout the South and resides in
Atlanta, GA.
What about health care reform is exciting for you?
As October 1
draws arrives, I am excited that thousands of people across the nation who
previously did not have health care will finally have the opportunity to get
covered through the Affordable Care Act (ACA)! Specifically, I'm excited about mobilizing
women, women of color, immigrants, and LGBT folks to enroll for affordable
insurance options - especially in the southern states where we know the highest
percentage of uninsured populations reside, many of whom don't earn enough to
be able to buy private insurance and aren't eligible to be covered by Medicaid.
Another
exciting aspect about ACA is how it's making insurance improvements. For
example, no more gender rating (women will no longer have to pay more
simply because they are women), no more lifetime or annual limits, no more
pre-existing condition bans, no more taking away insurance when you get sick!
To help women
learn about the new options ahead of us, Raising Women's Voices for the Health
Care We Need and the Ms. Foundation have collaborated on a campaign that will
complement, support, and amplify state level ACA outreach and enrollment
efforts. The campaign, women 4 health care (@Women4HC), premiered on October 1 and includes an array of resources, tools, and
materials for organizations engaging in this work, including Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest updates on
Women 4 Health Care and learn more about how to get involved by filling out this
simple form: http://bit.ly/Women4HealthCareSignUp.
What worries you / keeps you awake at night?
The new
health care law will bring peace of mind and security to millions of Americans,
but I worry about the people who will still fall into gaps that remain - some
of which directly affect some of the people I'm closest too.
In many Southern states, conservative politicians have so far
refused to accept federal funds that would allow them to provide insurance
coverage through state Medicaid programs to more low-income people living and
working in their states. This is a
heart-breaking missed opportunity that will leave many people with no
affordable way to get health insurance, like my partner. And according to economic experts in states
that have done the analysis, it’s also a fiscal mistake because using federal
money to expand Medicaid eligibility could actually save money for states,
support well-paying health care sector jobs, and generate new tax revenues. It’s not too late, though, and I hope we’ll
be able to make this worry go away by persuading more states to accept the
federal funds and cover the new eligible populations.
Another gap
that exists throughout the country is that undocumented immigrants, like my
mother, are not allowed to buy insurance on the marketplace (even if they have
the money and are able to pay full price). Immigrant youth who have filed for
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are also not eligible, despite
being recognized as "lawfully present" in the U.S. And even immigrants with documentation will
face some barriers because of the five-year ban making them ineligible for the
financial help they might need to make insurance affordable in the
Marketplaces. People who can't get
insurance because of these gaps will have to rely on the same, limited sources
for care that were available before the new law, including community health
centers, which did at least get some new
funding, thanks to the ACA.
For the
millions who are eligible to buy insurance in the Marketplaces, I worry that
women, women of color, and LGBT folks might not get the information they need to
make informed decisions about plans that will meet their health care needs. These
are constituencies that historically have been ignored and marginalized and, in
the South and other rural states (like Montana), often face additional access
challenges. To make sure they do get the necessary information, there will have
to be outreach that's specifically designed to overcome these challenges --
taking the information directly to these communities -- in their homes and by
phone -- and to places where people from various underserved communities are
already coming together -- like at community events, festivals, using social
media channels where people congregate virtually.
Yet, there isn't
a challenge out there that doesn't come with great opportunity. The need to do
this targeted outreach creates space for organizations big and small to come
together for a common goal. And there are some great organizations that are targeting
these populations and engaging in outreach in the ways I just mentioned, like RWV,
Out2Enroll, Enroll America, along with a slew of local and state-wide
organizations. These are the challenges we face, that for one keeps me worried,
but it’s also motivating to know there is a lot collaborative work being done.
What charge might you issue to women in
the South about what we should be doing now?
I would give women
in the South a charge of three things to do right now:
1.
If you’re uninsured,
get ready to enroll by identifying your health care priorities
2. Draw on local
available help to figure out which health insurance plan fits your budget and
meets your needs, and sign up!
3. Whether you have
insurance or not – find formal and informal ways to talk with friends and
community members about these exciting changes and share the tools that are
available with your networks.
To expand on
number one, you really have to think about what is important for you in an
insurance plan. Does the plan include the
doctor, clinic or hospital that you use? Does it cover your medical needs?
Which plan best fits your budget? You can more information and other thought
provoking things to keep in mind in the Choosing a Plan
section of the RWV website.
If you have
enrollment questions you want to ask to a person, Healthcare.gov suggests you
visit LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov to find help in your area, and you can also
contact one of RWV's Regional Coordinators if we have one in your state. (As a side
note, we are currently looking to expand our Southern partners, contact me if you know of
an organization that might be a good lead!).
For number three,
even if you don’t feel like an expert, remember that the best messenger for
these very personal issues is often a person we know. You can use the RWV Fact Sheets to help your friends and family members learn
about the changes that are coming, and share the 10 ways to get ready for the
Health Insurance Marketplace with
anyone you know who doesn’t have insurance!
