Hemophilia Federation of America is a national nonprofit organization that assists, educates and advocates for the bleeding disorders community.
COVID relief legislation makes health coverage more accessible and affordable On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act into law. This sweeping measure provides economic relief to individuals, families, businesses, schools, and state and local governments. The law offers new incentives for holdout states to expand their Medicaid programs […]
The American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law on March 11, 2021, provides new opportunities to get health insurance coverage, and/or to reduce the cost of your premiums. Review your coverage now to make sure you are maximizing your benefits under the new law! WHO SHOULD REVIEW THEIR COVERAGE? Anyone who is currently uninsured or […]
All ACA Marketplaces Create New Special Enrollment Periods Due to COVID-19 All 15 of the state-based Marketplaces (SBMs) created pursuant to the Affordable Care Act have established a COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period for 2021 following the Biden Administration鈥檚 decision to reopen the federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM) from Feb. 15 through May 15. SBMs can create their […]
Responding to the ongoing pandemic, the federal government has opened a special enrollment period (SEP) in the Healthcare.gov insurance marketplaces. This enrollment opportunity will run from Feb. 15聽to May 15聽in the 36 states that use the Healthcare.gov enrollment platform (most of the remaining states have already announced that they, too, will open a new 2021 […]
The 2021 federal health policy outlook started to come into sharper focus in early January, when runoff elections for both of Georgia鈥檚 Senate seats were decided. The election of Democratic Sens. Warnock and Ossoff means that the U.S. Senate is split 50-50 between the parties, with the Democrats holding the slimmest of majorities (Vice President […]
More than a dozen patient groups representing millions of Americans with serious and chronic health conditions are urging the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to preserve protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) patients receiving health care services and restore translation notices […]
HFA鈥檚 virtual 2020 Patient Fly-in took place over the week of Nov. 16.聽 Sixteen community members connected with their lawmakers via phone and Zoom to describe what it鈥檚 like to live with a bleeding disorder 鈥 and to explain what people in this community need in terms of quality, affordable health coverage. Fly-in participants also […]
Dear Addy, I know that open enrollment for health insurance begins Nov. 1, 2020. At the same time, I鈥檓 hearing about a Supreme Court case that could overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA)! As a person with a bleeding disorder, what should I do about health insurance for 2021? Signed, Anxious About Insurance Dear Anxious, […]
Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions and Coverage Standards at Risk Twenty patient groups representing millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to prioritize patient protections, including those for people with pre-existing conditions, when it hears oral arguments Tuesday in the case of California v. Texas (previously Texas v. United States). 聽The […]
Update on ACA lawsuit The death of eminent Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18th brought renewed attention to the fate of the Affordable Care Act. As previously reported, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ACA (California v. Texas) is pending in the Supreme Court. Because Justice Ginsburg was considered a likely […]
Policy and advocacy sessions sparked robust discussions at HFA鈥檚 recently concluded 2020 Symposium! Thank you to all who attended 鈥 it was wonderful to 鈥渟ee鈥 you at our virtual event. For those who couldn鈥檛 join us in real time, you can still view the recorded sessions on your own schedule for the next few months […]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services releases rule paring back anti-discrimination provisions On June 12th, the HHS Office of Civil Rights released a final rule聽re-interpreting anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The new rule removes explicit patient protections against discrimination by health care providers and insurers. HFA joined with twenty-eight other patient and […]
HFA joined with twenty-eight other patient and health advocacy groups to issue the following statement 聽regarding a final rule released by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights/HHS on Friday, June 12th. The rule, interpreting anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act, removes explicit patient protections against discrimination by health care providers and insurers. The groups鈥 […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. Federal rule allows health plans to discount manufacturer copay assistance. On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that affects individuals who rely on聽patient copay assistance programs. The HHS rule (the 鈥2021 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters,鈥 or NBPP) allows […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. Federal insurance rules proposed for 2021 Plan Year. Every year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes a federal rule (the 鈥淣otice of Benefits and Payment Parameters,鈥 or NBPP) to govern operations of the ACA marketplaces and ACA health plans for the coming year. The 2021 […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. HFA and NHF co-hosted a Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., over three days at the end of January. The summit was convened in recognition and response to community concerns arising from a series of drug safety reports in 2019. Those safety incidents rocked the hemophilia community 鈥 and […]
On December 18, 2019, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited ruling in Texas v. United States, a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The 5th Circuit ruling upholds (in part) an earlier lower court decision that declared the ACA to be unconstitutional, due to Congress鈥 2017 enactment of […]
HFA continues to monitor the Texas v. United States case, in which a U.S. district court declared that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional by virtue of Congress鈥檚 2017 repeal of the ACA鈥檚 individual mandate tax penalty. The district court ruling has been appealed by California and 19 other states, along with the U.S. […]
Featured Story: Some relief ahead from accumulator adjusters. Finally some good news regarding accumulator adjusters! Patient advocates, including HFA, have been warning lawmakers that accumulator adjuster programs threaten access to care for people with chronic health conditions. In recent weeks, state and federal lawmakers signaled they have heard this message and took steps to rein […]
17 Patient Groups Urge Appeals Court to Uphold Health Care Law Loss of Patient Protections Would Raise Barriers to Health Insurance HFA joined a group of seventeen patient advocacy organizations in filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief today in case of Texas v. United States, pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals […]
Protections for people with pre-existing conditions. You may recall that last December, a federal district court ruled in Texas v. United Statesthat the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety. This ruling, if upheld, would: eliminate important protections for people with pre-existing conditions; end the ACA鈥檚 Medicaid expansion; abolish the requirement that health plans […]
Featured Story: Federal court rules that the ACA is unconstitutional: Texas v. Azar On Friday, Dec. 14, we learned a federal judge had ruled in the case of Texas v. Azar聽that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety. This news has alarmed many. HFA staff posted a number of updates to tell the […]
Last Friday evening, we learned that a federal judge had ruled in the case of Texas v. Azar聽that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety. This news has alarmed many. HFA staff want to update you on what we know at this point. First and foremost, please be aware that this ruling does […]
HFA learned late Friday night that a federal court has struck down the entire Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. You can find an explanation of聽the lawsuit (Texas v. Azar) here and can read a description of the latest ruling here. HFA is studying the ruling and will post a more detailed update soon. In the […]
As we鈥檝e previously reported, several lawsuits are currently pending in federal courts concerning aspects of the Affordable Care Act. One lawsuit questions whether the ACA is still valid, despite the elimination of the individual mandate penalty; other cases take an opposite tack, challenging recent Administration actions and rulemakings as inconsistent with the ACA. Today, HFA […]
Featured Stories: As November draws near, #DefendPreEx remains in the spotlight. We have written before about聽Texas v. United States, a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. In September, the federal court with jurisdiction over the case held a hearing to consider the parties鈥 arguments. At issue […]
The past week has seen a flurry of news on the ACA front. We鈥檝e summarized some of the latest developments for you here. On July 10, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced it will further聽reduce funding for navigators.聽Navigators are individuals or organizations that are trained to help Americans buy insurance in the ACA […]
Your access to healthcare is at risk. The Senate is currently considering another bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sponsored by Sens. Cassidy and Graham. Congress only has until September 30th to act on this measure. We must work together to defeat this bill. Why should you take action? The Graham-Cassidy聽legislation would harm […]
On Tuesday, the Senate will likely vote on a 鈥淢otion to Proceed,鈥 which is the first step to open debate on health reform legislation.聽 If the motion passes, they may consider a 2015 bill that will repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act without replacing it, or the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the recent […]
Dear Addy, I saw a lot of activity on social media last week about HFA鈥檚 Virtual Hill Day and Patient Fly-in. Can I still participate? Signed, Always an Advocate Dear Advocate, YES! On May 24th, HFA organized a Virtual Hill Day, in conjunction with meetings on Capitol Hill, to encourage community members nationwide to contact […]
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