UPPER NYACK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Global Healthy Living Foundation continues to advocate for access to health care for chronic disease patients in response to new guidance provided in late 2018 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of the Treasury allowing for states to apply for waivers under Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Section 1332 waivers allow states to waive specified provisions of the ACA, provided the state’s waiver plan meets four statutory guardrails: coverage must be as affordable as it would be without the waiver; coverage must be as comprehensive as it would be without the waiver; a comparable number of people must be covered under the waiver as would be without it; and the waiver must not add to the federal deficit.
This month GHLF submitted letters to the Honorable Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Honorable Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury to support a waiver application in Colorado because the program is expected to reduce premiums by 16 percent and increase the total number of individuals obtaining health insurance through the individual market by 2.9 percent, which will enable individuals with pre-existing chronic conditions to have equitable access to affordable and comprehensive coverage. Earlier this summer, GHLF also supported a waiver application in North Dakota because it introduces a 5-year reinsurance program that is designed to stabilize the individual market, reduce rates, and support an expansion of insurance offerings and growth of insurance options.
In July, GHLF opposed a waiver in Idaho because while the Coverage Choice Waiver ostensibly expands Medicaid to Idahoans with incomes from 100 percent to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, it does so with increased costs to patients and by adding layers of “work requirement” paperwork that requires health literacy that many patients lack. The organization also opposes proposed amendments to the Section 1115 Primary Care Network Demonstration Waiver, Per Capita Gap, in Utah because it will effectively reduce the number of individuals able to access comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage and add new barriers to the already limited Medicaid program.
“As a patient-facing organization, we are uniquely positioned to understand what individuals and families need to manage serious and lifelong chronic health conditions. With stable access to health insurance and affordable medications, patients can make better decisions about their long-term disease management,” said Seth Ginsberg, president and co-founder of Global Healthy Living Foundation. “It’s vitally important that patients participate and have their voices amplified in all conversations related to access to treatment, safety or quality of care. We’re actively working to help shape health policy to improve patients’ ability to choose affordable health plans that meet their needs.”
This year, the Global Healthy Living Foundation also opposed Medicaid waivers in Wyoming, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Montana. For more information on how the Global Healthy Living Foundation is working with and on behalf of patient communities visit, https://www.50statenetwork.org.
About Global Healthy Living Foundation
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic illnesses (such as arthritis, osteoporosis, migraine, psoriasis, and cardiovascular disease) by advocating for improved access to health care at the community, state, and federal levels, and amplifying education and awareness efforts within its social media framework. GHLF is also a staunch advocate for vaccines. The Global Healthy Living Foundation is the parent organization of CreakyJoints®, the digital arthritis community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, activism, and patient-centered research through ArthritisPower®, the first-ever patient-centered research registry for joint, bone, and inflammatory skin conditions. Visit www.GHLF.org for more information.
