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Get Covered, Rural Kansas

Name
Jessica Bowser
City
Topeka
Release Date

We enjoy living and working in rural Kansas. The open spaces, the feeling of community, and the strong agricultural heritage and values are just a few of the many reasons that make us happy to call our rural communities, home. Last week, the nation celebrated Rural Health Week, and we’re thankful for the affordable health insurance options that give rural families like ours piece of mind, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

 

Quality health care is critical to the health of rural children and families and the strength of our communities – and open enrollment to get health insurance coverage only happens once each year. From now until January 31, 2016, you can sign up for an affordable plan that’s right for you and your family. If you currently have coverage, you should go back and check to see if you qualify for a plan that can save you money. In fact, more than 7 in 10 returning Marketplace customers will be able to buy a plan for $75 or less a month in premiums after tax credits.

 

Before the ACA, many rural Americans struggled to find affordable healthcare, paying nearly half of all medical costs out of their own pockets on average. Many self-employed farmers, ranchers, and rural small business owners—some of the most critical contributors to strong rural economies—did not have access to the affordable insurance options that many people get through their employers. Too often, getting quality care in a rural community came with a high price tag.

 

Rural Kansans now have better access to a wide variety of affordable health insurance options, more doctors and nurses, and comprehensive prevention and wellness services at health care providers through the ACA. The ACA protects access to care in rural communities by ensuring that hospitals and other providers in rural and remote communities receive the reimbursement they need to offer quality care to patients to keep their doors open.  More than 7.8 million uninsured rural Americans under age 65 have gained new opportunities to enroll in affordable health care in the past year. And nationwide, an estimated 17.6 million Americans have found health coverage.

 

The ACA has also strengthened plans and access to critical services for Americans who already had health insurance. Thirty million rural Americans who already had private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost sharing, such as blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, pap tests and mammograms for women, and flu shots for children and adults.  More than 11 million elderly and disabled rural Americans receiving coverage from Medicare now have access to preventive services with no cost sharing. This includes annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, diabetes and cancer screening, and bone mass measurement.

 

Rural Americans can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition and nearly 600,000 young rural Americans between the ages of 19 and 26 now have coverage under their parent’s employer-sponsored or individually purchased health plans. Lifetime and annual limits can no longer be included in private insurance policies.

 

Picking a plan and signing up for coverage is now easier than ever – you can even enroll on a cell phone. And there’s financial help available too. Financial help is available to make coverage more affordable through HealthCare.gov.

 

The Affordable Care Act gives hardworking rural Kansas families the financial security and peace of mind they deserve. It makes rural communities stronger and rural families healthier.

If you or someone you know needs health insurance, now’s the time to sign up. Find out more at HealthCare.gov or 1-800-318-2596 before January 31, 2016—because no one should go without healthcare because of where they live, or be forced to leave the communities they love to get the coverage they need.

By USDA Rural Development State Director, Patty Clark and USDA Farm Service Agency Executive Director, Adrian Polansky