Northwest CHC officials can help with Obamacare sign-up

Northwest Community Health Center is preparing for a busy couple of months. 

In anticipation of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, the center hired two new certified application specialists to help people understand the new online marketplace. 

Funding for the positions came from an $86,000 grant from Health Resources and Services Administration. The grant was given in July.

“My job is to take the confusion and anxiety out of this for people,” Teresa Chandler, one of the new councilors, said from a break during an outreach training session in Missoula. “I want to help the community understand the insurance process and take down the barriers.”

Center Executive Director Maria Clemons believes people will eventually embrace the new health system.

“There was a lot of resistance to Medicare and now there are a lot of seniors who would be lost without it,” Clemons said.

The center’s new councilors were hired Sept. 1. They have studied the new system and passed both federal and state certifications. 

“This information can be explained so people are not scared,” Chandler said. “There is a lot of bad information out. People are concerned about the government getting involved or their privacy being compromised. I just want to show people their options.”

Visitors are invited to meet with the new specialists starting Oct. 7. Clemons said her center has already received referrals from other health centers.

“The old model of health care is not sustainable,” Clemons said. “We need to get back to disease prevention rather than disease management. A lot of that begins with access.”

Montana is one of 27 states to adopt a federally-facilitated marketplace. The Montana Health Insurance Exchange offers three health insurance carrier plans: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, PacificSource Health Plans and Montana Health CO-OP.

Clemons anticipates 

The Affordable Care Act required states to expand Medicaid, but 26 states, including Montana, did not after the Supreme Court ruled states could not be forced to comply. Clemons says there will be a coverage gap of people earning below the poverty line who are not currently eligible for Medicaid. This includes some 900 visitors to the center, about a quarter of the center’s total uninsured patients.

“Anything that supports sustainable coverage is a step in the right direction,” Clemons said.