WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) Tuesday announced the availability of $592,701 to support Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators in Iowa. Navigators provide unbiased information to consumers about the health insurance marketplace and the benefits available to them under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The funding, announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was made available through the ACA. These awards support preparation and outreach activities in year two of Marketplace enrollment and will help ensure that even more Iowans are able to get affordable coverage in 2015. In total, HHS announced $60 million in Navigator grant awards to 90 organizations nationwide.
“Thanks to Navigators in our state, Iowans are able to receive unbiased information about the health coverage options available to them through the Affordable Care Act,” Harkin said. “They play a critical role in helping Iowans choose and enroll in a plan that offers the quality, affordable care they need. This is just one more way the Affordable Care Act is working for Iowa families.”
The Health Insurance Marketplace allows Iowans to shop for, compare, and enroll in private health plans. The Marketplaces make purchasing health insurance easier and more understandable and offer consumers and small businesses increased competition and choice. Through the Marketplaces, consumers are able to learn if they are eligible for financial help or other health care programs like HAWK-I or the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. In 2014, more than 29,000 Iowans selected plans through the Marketplace and 78,000 Iowans enrolled in Medicaid. In addition, small employers are eligible to receive tax credits for coverage purchased for employees through the SHOP Marketplace.
Marketplaces also make other resources available to consumers to help them access Marketplace coverage, such as certified application counselors, non-navigator assister personnel (also known as in-person assisters), and agents and brokers. Iowans can visit Find Local Help to find assistance in their area. For a list of HHS Navigator awardees or more information about Navigators and other Marketplace resources, click here.
As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Harkin was an author of the ACA.
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Just more tax money wasted by the Democrats on Obama’s Worthless Obamacare.