Health Care

stethoscope on a clipboard

Health Insurance Reform

I am pleased to provide you with information to help you connect with local healthcare resources that can provide enrollment assistance for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  While my office does not have the expertise to enroll people in the healthcare marketplace, we are happy to refer you to resources that will help you enroll and/or answer your questions.

You may also visit healthcare.gov or call the toll-free ACA consumer helpline at 1(800) 318-2596 to get your marketplace questions answered.  Or you can call United Way’s 211 Line find out about enrollment assistance in your area.

 

If you would prefer to talk to someone locally about signing up for health insurance, please see some of the options available to you below (more local healthcare resources can be seen at healthcare.gov):
CLEVELAND AREA:
Care Alliance Health Center: 216-781-6724
Riverview Tower, 1795 W. 25th St., 2nd Floor, Cleveland, OH
ELYRIA/LORAIN AREA:
Lorain County General Health District: 440-322-6367
9880 Murray Ridge Rd., Elyria, OH 44035
HURON/SANDUSKY AREA:
United Way Port Clinton-Sutton Center: 419-734-6645
1854 E. Perry St, #300, Port Clinton, OH 43452

Huron County General Health District: (419) 668-1652, ext. 269.
180 Milan Road, Norwalk, OH 44857
PARMA AREA:
Parma Health Ministry: 440-843-8087
7000 Ridge Road, Parma, OH 44129

Cleveland Marketplace Enrollment Team-Cognosante: 216-643-2941
6100 Oak Tree Blvd., Suite 200, Independence, OH 44131
TOLEDO AREA:
Toledo-Lucas County Health Department: 419-213-4100
635 N. Erie St. Room 27, Toledo, OH 43604
 

Things you need to know


What is a Health Insurance Marketplace or Exchange?

A Health Insurance Marketplace or Exchange is a new way that Americans can compare and shop for health insurance. US citizens and others who are legally in the US can sign up for health insurance through the Marketplace. You cannot be turned down, and you may even be able to get help paying for your new insurance.

Open Enrollment is currently closed. However, you can still get coverage if you experience certain life changes: getting married, having a baby, losing other coverage, moving, or if you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP.


Do I have to sign up for health insurance?

You do need to sign up if you have no insurance, or if you are losing your coverage, or you are not eligible to be covered under an affordable, quality employer plan. If you don’t have insurance that qualifies as minimum essential coverage, you may have to pay a fee when you file your taxes.

You do not need to sign up if you care covered by Medicare, Medicaid for Elderly, Blind or Disabled, the VA health program, or a good and affordable insurance through your job or your spouse’s job.

Young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance until they turn 26, but they can also go to the Marketplace to see if they can get a less expensive insurance.
 

How much does it cost?

It does not cost anything to apply and learn what insurance plan options you qualify for, what the plans will cost per month, and what financial help you can receive.

Once you know your options, you can decide what health insurance plan is best for you and your budget.

You may qualify for a discount and/or tax credit from the federal government. The amount of financial assistance is calculated when you sign up.
 

What information do I need to sign up?

ID information for all members of your family (age, social security numbers, or legal permanent resident/green card or visa numbers).

Income for all family members – this is because you will have to estimate your 2014 family income to get your financial assistance (pay stub or tax forms, or other documents showing income).

Information about insurance offered through your job or your spouse’s job, even if you don’t take that insurance, including how much it costs for a single plan.
 

Important things to keep in mind after signing up:

You must pay your premiums (the amount you pay for your insurance) every month to keep your coverage.

Watch for information about the health insurance plan you select, such as a membership card or new member letter, which will help you get started with your new plan.

Report any changes in family income or number of people in your family by calling the Health Insurance Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596.

 

Health care, specifically health insurance coverage for all, mental health care, and medical liability coverage for healthcare providers, is one of the most important domestic policies today.

The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010, puts consumers in charge by ensuring access to quality, affordable health care. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that the law will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 94 percent of Americans, while lowering health care costs over the long term.

This historic legislation will reduce the deficit by $210 billion over the next ten years, with $1.2 trillion in additional deficit reduction in the following 10 years.

Although people share different views about the proper course of reform, the Affordable Care Act is a responsible approach to the challenges of the 21st Century and will repair much of what needs fixed so that our country remains strong and competitive.
 

UNDERSTANDING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Read the text of the law here.

Read a summary of the bill here.

Read about how the law affects my constituents in Ohio's 9th District here.

Review the key features and timeline for implementation of the law here.

Read the CBO analysis of the budgetary impact of the reconciliation bill here.

Read the President's Executive Order prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion here.

Read about the small business health care tax credit here.

Visit healthcare.gov to learn more about the law here.
 

More on Health Care

Kaptur: University of Toledo earns $430,000 federal health research grant

December 6, 2018 Press Release

Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), today announced a $434,739 National Institutes of Health research grant for the University of Toledo. The award is the first part of a five-year grant distributed by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research that will go toward research to protect people against oral disease.

Kaptur: Passage of Bipartisan Opioids Package

September 28, 2018 Press Release

Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) and her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives voted 393-8 to pass the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a bipartisan package of opioid-related provisions.

 

Kaptur: $1.3 million in federal awards to University of Toledo

September 21, 2018 Press Release

Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) today welcomed news that the University of Toledo received four federal awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Science Foundation totaling at over $1.3 million.

 

Kaptur: $1.5 million in opioid-focused awards

September 20, 2018 Press Release

Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) today welcomed news that the Erie County Department of Health and Firelands Regional Health System each received federal awards from the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) and that the Erie County Department of Health also received a federal award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

 

Kaptur: $1 million federal medical research grant to go to University of Toledo

September 11, 2018 Press Release

Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), today welcomed news that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded nearly $1 million in federal grants to two scientists at The University of Toledo for research projects examining cell behaviors that can lead to the development of better medicines to treat cancer, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disease.

Kaptur: Sandusky substance recovery collaborative awarded $200,000 for substance recovery program

September 10, 2018 Press Release

Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), today announced that the Sandusky Artisans Recovery Community Center will receive a $199,207 federal award to help bolster substance use recovery efforts. The grant is part of the Building Communities of Recovery program, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

Kaptur condemns Republican-led lawsuit aimed at gutting protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions

September 5, 2018 Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Today, as arguments begin in a Federal District Court in the Republican-led Texas v. United States lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Dean of the Ohio Delegation, called on Republicans to stop their attacks on Americans’ health care.

Kaptur: $125,000 “Drug-Free Communities” federal grant to go to Erie County Health Department

August 30, 2018 Press Release

Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), today announced a continuation grant of $125,000 in federal funds to the Erie County Health Department, operated by the Partners for Prevention of Erie County. The grant is part of the Drug-Free Communities program, administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

Kaptur secures report on prescription drug pricing in Appropriations Committee

July 12, 2018 Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) yesterday secured a report requiring the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide information on prescription drug prices to the Appropriations Committee within 120 days of enactment. Four Republicans voted for the measure, joining every Democrat.

Kaptur announces another round of federal opioid grants available to help children and families

June 4, 2018 Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), a senior Member on the House Appropriations Committee, announced several grants made available through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.