Help Chinese Americans Get Health Insurance by February 15
By Tina Tchen, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
to the First Lady
Did you know that Chinese Americans
are six times more likely to die of liver cancer than Caucasians are? Hepatitis
B, the cause of liver cancer, is one of the largest health threats to Chinese
Americans.
But this disease, like many other
chronic diseases, is preventable. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the health care
legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in March
2010, healthcare that can identify and treat preventable conditions is now
affordable and accessible for all Americans, including Chinese Americans. The
Affordable Care Act requires most health plans to cover recommended preventive
services, like cancer, Hepatitis B, and blood pressure screenings, at no cost
to you.
And
because of the Affordable Care Act, there are no longer lifetime limits on
medical costs. That means you won’t go broke from getting sick. And insurance
companies can no longer deny you from getting health coverage or charge you
extra because of a “pre-existing condition,” such as asthma, diabetes, or
cancer.
These
are just a few of the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
I would like to share with you
the story of a young man named Kalwis Lo, who is alive today directly because
of the Affordable Care Act. Kalwis’ senior year of college was very busy and
tiring. Kalwis’ family was uninsured, but as a college student, his health
coverage was provided by the university.
But two months after
graduation in 2011, he was no longer covered by his school’s health plan and his
fatigue got worse. The summer after he graduated, he began to undergo medical
testing. That August, he was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s disease.
His nightmare got worse. His
insurance provider denied coverage for the treatments he would need to battle
his cancer because they considered it a pre-existing condition. Then, he was
denied by every major health insurance company he applied to. As working-class
Chinese Americans, his parents didn’t have much money but reached into their
own savings to put him through medical testing and chemotherapy treatments.
They asked friends and family for help to cover the cost of his care.
Fortunately, Kalwis kept
following the Affordable Care Act, and one day he learned something that
changed everything. He learned that the Affordable Care Act created a temporary
program to make health insurance available to anyone denied coverage because of
a pre-existing condition. He enrolled in the program, allowing him to afford
the chemotherapy treatments he needed. Today, because of the Affordable Care
Act, Kalwis is cancer-free and living a healthy life.
Kalwis’ story is
just one among thousands of Americans who have benefited from the Affordable
Care Act. Make sure you and your loved ones have the peace of mind to live long
and healthy. The deadline to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace is
February 15, 2015. Visit HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 to #GetCovered today!
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