September 2020
En Español: Esta es una carta solicitando una donación para el trabajo que hace CCHCC. Si tiene preguntas sobre esta carta, o para mas información sobre donando a CCHCC, llame a (217) 352-6533 y pregunte por Chris o Adani.
Dear Friends,
The coronavirus pandemic – and the mishandling of it by the Trump Administration and our federal government – has put our lives at risk. This is no time to play politics with public health, or our health care and health insurance. And yet, that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing. At the very moment that people need guaranteed access to quality, affordable health care, the Trump administration is fighting to undermine and destroy the Affordable Care Act, and our nation’s public health infrastructure.
On November 10, just one week after the presidential election, the Trump administration will ask the Supreme Court to get rid of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But for now, the ACA is still the law of the land. As people lose wages, employment, and employer-sponsored health insurance during the pandemic, the ACA is there to pick up the pieces and provide health insurance coverage. But if the Trump administration has its way, the ACA and all the consumer protections and guarantees that it provides for those with private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid, will soon be gone.
CCHCC has a big job to do this fall, and we need your help and support! The threats this nation is facing could have far-reaching consequences on the lives of millions of Americans, and on the future of all forms of health insurance in the U.S., including Medicare and Medicaid. These threats also bring into sharp focus the importance of voting in elections – policies and laws are made by elected officials and the people they appoint to the courts. CCHCC is organizing to register, educate, and empower health care voters!
But even as these threats escalate, individuals and families in our community still need help getting covered and navigating the ACA’s Marketplace and Medicare. Open Enrollment periods for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, and for the ACA Marketplace are quickly approaching, and CCHCC is gearing up to help our community get covered.
Our work is much harder and more time-consuming when we have to socially-distance. CCHCC’s work to provide free services to consumers, including health insurance enrollment, is much harder now that we have to work remotely and practice social-distancing. Providing direct services to consumers is more complicated and time-consuming, and the upcoming work of doing community outreach and education for the Open Enrollment periods will be more challenging than ever, as we will have to do this work without being able to hold in-person meetings.
With your help and support, we can do this! CCHCC needs your financial support and help! Our voter education, advocacy, and community organizing work – fighting for good health care policy that will improve people’s health and their lives – and our free direct services to help people get health insurance coverage, access to care, and social services they need, are all possible with your help and support.
Health insurance enrollment – We’ve got you covered! Health insurance enrollment work requires increasingly specialized knowledge and skills – whether for Medicare, or for the ACA Marketplace and Medicaid. Our federally-certified staff are the most experienced enrollment counselors in our community. This means that anyone – young or old or in between; employed or unemployed; retired; low-income, middle-income, high income, or no income; currently insured or uninsured – can turn to CCHCC and we will help them figure out what coverage is available to them, and we will help them get covered!
Open Enrollment Periods for Medicare Advantage and Part D, and the ACA Marketplace.
An important part of our work is to help community members prepare for two different open enrollment periods – Medicare Open Enrollment, and ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment. The Medicare Open Enrollment period is from October 15 through December 7, for enrolling in Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D (prescription) plans. The ACA Marketplace (healthcare.gov [1]) Open Enrollment period is now from November 1 through December 15, for people who are seeking an individual health insurance plan – usually individuals who do not have coverage through their employer – and for those who need to renew their Marketplace plans. With your help and support, CCHCC can get our community prepared for these Open Enrollment periods, and provide free direct services to community members who need help with Open Enrollment.
Threats to the Affordable Care Act, our nation’s public health, and the importance of voting. When the ACA could not be repealed through legislative means, the Trump Administration set out to undermine and sabotage the ACA through administrative measures, rule-making, and funding reductions, and now through the court system in the Texas v. Azar Supreme Court case. Some states’ Governors and Attorneys General are helping to defend the ACA in the Texas vs. Azar case, while others are attacking the ACA. Never has it been more clear that when it comes to health policy and law, elections matter. Who we elect at every level of office in local, state, and federal government can have an impact on our health and health care.
Getting registered to vote, and voting in the November 2020 General Election is one of the most important things you can do as a health care consumer! Here’s the good news: Illinois now has Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)! If you live in Illinois, the most important thing you can do is to check your voter registration, and make sure your address is up to date. Checking your information is easy and can be done online through IllinoisVotes2020.com website, the “Illinois Online Voter Application” website, or through your County Clerk’s office, online or in person. If you need help, contact CCHCC!
If you want to vote by mail in Illinois, you must request a mail-in ballot before October 1. If you want to vote in person, you can vote early starting on October 7. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
How we fight back – and how you can help! CCHCC will continue to fight to protect our care and our public health infrastructure. Even as we undertake this fight, we will continue to provide free direct services to community members so that they can get enrolled in affordable health insurance. Open Enrollments for Medicare Advantage and Part D, and the ACA Marketplace plans are right around the corner, and we have to mount a large-scale outreach and education campaign so that people can get covered. CCHCC needs your ongoing involvement and support!
You can help by making a financial contribution to support our ongoing work. You can also help by responding to, and sharing our emails and Facebook posts to help our outreach and advocacy efforts. And, you can also help by being an informed voter! The 2020 elections will determine the future of our healthcare. If you need help getting registered to vote, or checking on your registration, please call us at 217-352-6533, or go to IllinoisVotes2020.com [2]!
We thank you for your commitment, and for your ongoing support and involvement!
DONATE NOW! [3]
Sincerely,
Claudia Lennhoff
Executive Director