Affordable Care Act and You

In her informative presentation at last October’s AFN Convention, Valerie Davidson, Senior Director of Legal and Inter-governmental Affairs at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, explained what the Affordable Care Act means to Alaska Natives and discussed health care reform opportunities.Val Davidson Medicare.Still002

Davidson listed five essential things we need to know about the Affordable Care Act, and elaborated on each:

  1. Tribal health programs continue
  2. Increased coverage
  3. Individual mandate & Indian exemption
  4. Medicaid expansion
  5. We can help!  You’re not alone on this.

In dealing with the troublesome health care website, Davidson advised in October to wait until January to try it.  “We don’t necessarily want to be the first guy on the river at freeze up, nor the last guy on the river at break up. Better to be in the middle, so maybe wait until January.”

She also reviewed the very positive effects Medicaid expansion could have on Alaska. She concluded with an important message: “Alaska Natives deserve to have health care and we deserve to have coverage like everybody else.”

To watch Valerie’s 23-minute presentation, go to: https://vimeo.com/83815064