Washington State Insurance Commissioner Publishes Spanish Online Language Version of Health Care Insurance Appeals Guide
OLYMPIA, Wash., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today unveiled a Spanish language version of the popular Health Care Reform Appeals Guide found at www.insurance.wa.gov.
With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, consumers have expanded rights under federal health care reform. It's the job of the Insurance Commissioner to see that consumers are treated fairly by insurance companies when it comes to health care in Washington State. Nearly everyone in the state will be impacted, including Latinos who make up 11 percent of the state's 6.7 million residents. Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the population of Hispanics grew more than 71 percent. They make up more than 50 percent of the populations of Adams and Yakima Counties. According to the PEW Hispanic Center, about one-third of our Spanish-speaking community goes without health insurance. This is compounded by the fact that Latinos are being squeezed economically harder than many other ethnic groups during this recession, which makes the cost of health care more difficult.
The health care reform appeals guide was published earlier this year funded with a grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and has seen thousands of people use the information to deal with problems with health insurance carriers. The updated guide includes new laws that will become effective on January 1, 2012 and is published in English, Spanish and soon, in Chinese.
"It's important we reach as many people as possible with this information," said Kreidler. "Just because an insurance company may say 'no' to a health care claim doesn't mean it's the final word. In many cases, you can appeal the decision, you can ask for a third party review and you can file a complaint with our office." said Kreidler.
Health care reform brings many benefits to the people of our state. Some of the highlights include:
- Most young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents' health care plans regardless of whether they live at home or are married.
- New health insurance plans must cover preventive services such as blood pressure, diabetes or cholesterol tests, well-baby and well-child visits to age 21 and others without charge.
- A ban on discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions up to age 19.
- Improves prescription drug coverage for people on Medicare Part D.
- Tax credits for small business owners who pay for health insurance for their employees.
Other changes coming soon include a "health insurance exchange" so individuals and small business owners can buy insurance. People who can't afford health insurance will get help paying for it. And there will be incentives to attract more qualified health care professionals to underserved areas of the state.
"This is important information for everyone in the community," said UIriel Iniguez, Executive Director of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs. "The health and well-being of our families is too important for anyone to be denied quality health care," he said. We applaud the outreach efforts of the State Insurance Commissioner to reach the Hispanic community across the state," he said.
SOURCE Office of the Insurance Commissioner-State of Washington
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