11-19-13 agnesian healthcare reform panel discussion

As part of its core mission, Agnesian HealthCare is working to help individuals and families throughout its service area understand and prepare for changes that will affect a number of people as healthcare reform begins January 2014.  The main healthcare reform features include:

·       Requiring all US citizens and legal residents to obtain health coverage from their employers or a type of coverage that meets the individual responsibility requirement under the Affordable Care Act, or pay a penalty.
·       Elimination of certain insurance restrictions with exclusions of certain individuals from healthcare coverage, such as requirements relating to pre-existing conditions.
·       Requiring employers with more than 50 full-time employees to provide affordable health coverage to employees.
On Wednesday, November 20, a panel of Agnesian HealthCare experts will share their knowledge of upcoming changes as a result of healthcare reform. The free program is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Agnesian HealthCare’s Plaza Level Conference Center, 430 E. Division Street in Fond du Lac.    Panelists include: Steve Little, president and chief executive officer; Derek Colmenares, MD, chief medical officer; and Anna Kaniess and Kathy Donahue, certified application counselors.  “We know there are a lot of unanswered questions about healthcare reform, and individuals want to be sure they are taking all the right steps to be ready,” says Little. “We have been working to prepare our associates to most effectively manage these questions, as well as help our patients and families navigate this maze of information. We hope this educational session will help shed more light on the new Affordable Care Act.”