Regardless of what you’ve heard amidst all the political turmoil and misinformation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still here and open enrollment begins on November 1st and ends December 15th.  This is what you need to know about the ACA!

The ACA impacts everyone.

No matter where you get your health insurance, this is how the ACA impacts you:

1. The comprehensive consumer protections put in place by the ACA protect Illinois residents from being denied health insurance based on pre-existing conditions.

2. Did you know that prior to the ACA being a woman was a pre-existing condition? This meant that women paid more for insurance than men. The ACA eliminated this discriminatory policy.

3. People can no longer be charged more for health insurance based on their medical history.

4. Individuals no longer face annual or lifetime limits on the amount of health care services their insurance company will cover. This includes the over 50% of Illinois residents who get health insurance through their employer.

5. Nearly 50% of Illinois’ children and 1 in 4 adults are enrolled in Medicaid, which was expanded under the ACA. Chances are you know someone enrolled in Medicaid.

United Way of Metro Chicago partners with several non-profit community based organizations to offer free, local, in-person enrollment help. Make an enrollment appointment at LIVEUNITEDchicago.org/getcovered

Did you know 80% of Illinois residents qualify for a discount on their ACA Marketplace health insurance?

The fight for the ACA is not over yet!

Despite the fact that efforts to repeal the ACA failed, the fight is not over yet. Actions taken over the last ten months to undermine the ACA include:

Cutting the open enrollment period in half, which means people only have six weeks to enroll rather than 12 weeks, and cutting the marketing and advertising budget by 90%.

Do you want to join the fight to help defend health care access?

Millions of people depend on the ACA for access to healthcare. Join United Way of Metro Chicago as we fight for the health care access for every person in every neighborhood across the region.

Learn more at LIVEUNITEDchicago.org/getcovered.

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