health act’s arrival spurs interest BY BILL FALLoN bfallon@westfairinc.com
T
he Affordable Care Act has left the realm of “what” and now encounters “how.” Yet the regional business voice tasked with spreading the word on implementation sees denial, calling it, “Our biggest obstacle.” That appeared to change June 18 at the Warner Library in Tarrytown, where 23 business persons received a tutorial from The Business Council of Westchester on the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and asked questions. Antagonism toward the act – House Republicans have repealed it 37 times – was absent or unstated, seemingly replaced by inquisitive acceptance during the nonpartisan, 90-minute forum. The individualized nature of many questions offered a window into the complexity of health care: “What happens when …” “I just lost my coverage and …” “I am a sole proprietor, but …” Responses could be quite specific, but within the big picture, The Business Council offered itself as “a bridge” between businesses and the law. Said John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of The Business Council, “We’re a
resource. We’ll be that bridge, one business at a time if needed.” The assembled learned the entire process is online and that those remaining without Internet access will call a state center to have their information uploaded. “They hear Obamacare or Affordable Care Act and they’ve been hearing it for a long time,” Ravitz said. “Now, it’s coming.” Attendees ran the business spectrum, identifying themselves by profession at Ravitz’s request: CFO; health care worker; comptroller; administrator with the state Department of Environmental Conservation; pediatric dietician; travel agency principal; licensed therapist; county library system worker; small business worker; media executive; and several who offered simply “self employed.” The “when” of the equation is carved in stone, with insurance exchanges to be in place nationally Oct.1 and the enforceable law in place Jan. 1, 2014. New York, like 15 other states, will design its own exchange; the remaining states will use a federally created exchange. Details on the New York exchange – complete with its gold, silver and bronze service levels – should be online by mid-July. At the Warner Library, The Business
Council’s manager of communication outreach, Glen Ganaway and Ravitz and illuminated the Affordable Care Act as it now stands. They were clear about one thing, as Ganaway put it, “The situation is fluid.” “We’re not trying to be Chicken Little about this,” said Ravitz, a former 12-year state assemblyman from Manhattan. “We’re just saying the results are going to happen.” The Business Council has run 10 such informational sessions, with Ganaway navigating the presentation and Ravitz in support mode. The forums following the Warner Library are to be held in the libraries of Mamaroneck, Bronxville, Montrose, Pound Ridge and Greenburgh. The Business Council is also hosting the sessions at its White Plains headquarters and, said Ravitz, “We’ll go to you to make a presentation if it’s more convenient.” The forums are conducted in conjunction with Community Services of New York, which sponsors the effort via a $40,000 grant. Both Ravitz and Ganaway praised county libraries for participating. On Oct. 7 at a spot to be determined, The Business Council plans to hold a breakfast with breakout sessions and officials on hand to answer questions. On the consumer bottom line, the hope
is exchange competition will serve to chill prices. As Ganaway said, “Private exchanges will offer commercial versions of the state plan. You can use it the same way, but options within it will certainly be different.” One difference, Ganaway noted: The state exchange offers tax breaks on insurance coverage retroactive to 2010 of 50 percent for companies with 50 or fewer employees (35 percent if it’s a nonprofit). After 2016, companies with 100 or fewer employees will reap the same tax breaks. There is no such tax break available through the private exchanges. Lisa Winn, education manager for White Plains-based American Booksellers Association said after the 90-minute presentation, “It’s a little frustrating without all the answers available.” But she said she would return to her job better informed. “There was a lot of information. It made me think about things I wasn’t even aware of yet.” One important detail has already been ciphered: how to determine a full-time worker. The answer is more a mathematics equation than a review of attendance records, with 30 hours per week constituting full time. Those happy with their coverage can simply continue as they have been doing.
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