An effort to educate and raise awareness among LGBT people about the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, begins in earnest next month when the law goes into effect.
A new program, Out 2 Enroll, will be unveiled Oct. 11 on National Coming Out Day ― which also happens to be the weekend of Atlanta Pride ― via its website at www.out2enroll.org and will be a resource for LGBT seeking help in maneuvering the new law during open enrollment. The ACA sets up online marketplaces, also known as exchanges, for people to study and then buy insurance from.
Out 2 Enroll is a collaboration between the Sellers Dorsey Foundation, the Center for American Progress and the Federal Agencies Project and was discussed at a recent White House briefing where several Atlanta LGBT advocates were invited to attend to learn more about the Affordable Care Act.
The Health Initiative today announced a rescheduling of the organization's annual Garden Party fundraiser to allow it to focus on helping LGBT Georgians navigate the new health insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment begins Oct. 1.
Linda Ellis, executive director of The Health Initiative, told GA Voice today that planning the Fall Garden Party would take away some of the organization's ability to properly address the changes.
“The work that we need to accomplish related to enrolling LGBT Georgians in the health insurance marketplace is core to who we are and what we do,” Ellis said. “It made sense to us to hold off the party and the celebration until after that work is done.”
During a recent town hall meeting in Winder, U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, a Republican from Athens, wanted people to be clear he is secure with his gender identity.
"I don't want to pay for a sex change operation. I'm not interested. I like being a boy," he said in his criticism of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Broun threw his hat into the ring for Sen. Saxby Chambliss' seat after Chambliss said he was not seeking another term because he's tired of all the gridlock in Washington, D.C. Chambliss also made headlines when he vocalized his opposition to same sex marriage with the pithy statement, "I'm not gay, so I'm not going to marry one."
National and local LGBT groups are praising today’s Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act. The court, in a 5-4 ruling, found the ACA mostly constitutional and upheld the controversial "individual mandate" portion of the law.
The law, often called Obamacare among politicos and pundits, is a landmark among President Barack Obama's presidential accomplishments. Several national LGBT and HIV groups supported the law, saying it would help those with HIV and other health conditions.
Signed into law in 2010, the ACA will make it easier for low and middle income Americans to purchase health insurance. Republicans have railed against the law, saying that a provision requiring Americans to purchase insurance, under the penalty of fines, is government overreach.