White House White Board: What ObamaCare Means For You

TOP 10 REASONS WHY THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT IS GOOD FOR MASSACHUSETTS*
Drum-roll, please...

10. Creates new protections to ensure your insurance plan covers you when you need it. Massachusetts already has strong insurance protections. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhances these protections by eliminating limits on the amount of benefits you can receive.

 9. Expands coverage for young adults. Under the ACA, young adults are able to stay on their parents’ coverage until age 26.

 8. Strengthens the primary care system and supports community health centers. The ACA has already provided more than $130 million to community health centers in Massachusetts to strengthen their programs while expanding access to primary care for community members.

 7. Reduces childhood obesity and tobacco use. The Department of Public Health is using ACA grants to improve emergency medical services for children, reduce childhood obesity and encourage tobacco cessation.

 6. Rewards quality of care, rather than quantity. The ACA supports the goals of the Commonwealth’s 2012 cost containment law by promoting the formation of Accountable Care Organizations that reward quality and efficiency of care rather than the quantity of care.

 5. Makes prescription drug coverage more affordable for seniors. The ACA closes the “donut hole” in Medicare prescription drug coverage. Nearly 60,000 Massachusetts seniors saved an average of $667 each on prescription drugs in 2012, and will save more as the donut hole is closed completely.

 4. Covers preventive health services with no co-pay. Thanks to the ACA, most health plans must now cover preventive services like shots, smoking cessation and cancer screenings at no cost to the consumer. This will help increase access to critical preventative care in the short term, and save lives in the long run.

 3. Provides tax credits to small businesses and increased coverage for employees. The ACA establishes tax credits for certain small employers to make it more affordable to cover their employees, which can be combined with additional wellness rebates through the Health Connector. Very low-income employees who cannot afford their employer’s coverage will become newly eligible for MassHealth, without any penalty for employers.

 2. Provides billions in additional federal dollars for Massachusetts. The ACA streamlines state health insurance programs while providing additional federal reimbursement for people already covered. The ACA also provides grants to help states protect taxpayers from excessive premiums.

 1. Ensures affordable coverage for more middle income families. The ACA extends health subsidies to those with incomes from 300% up to 400% of the federal poverty level (approximately $46,000 for an individual), making health insurance affordable for more low-and-middle-income families.

* From the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Health and Human Services

REMINDER, TODAY: 

Shayne M. Desroches, age 13

HOPKINTON/HOLDEN - Shayne M. Desroches, age 13, of Hopkinton and formerly of Holden, died on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 from injuries sustained in a car accident in Hopkinton.

A funeral service honoring and celebrating Shayne's life will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, in Faith Community Church of Hopkinton, 146 E. Main Street, Hopkinton. A private graveside service will be held at Grove Cemetery in Holden at the convenience of the family. At Amanda's request, memorial contributions may be made to "The Sky's the Limit", a project to utilize unused courtyard space at Hopkinton Middle School for learning and recreation. Checks may be payable to Hopkinton Middle School, 88 Hayden Rowe St., Hopkinton, MA 01748. To share a memory or leave an online condolence, please Sign the Guestbook at Miles Funeral Home.

Antoinette "Toni" Arthur, age 80

Antoinette "Toni" Arthur, age 80, a lifelong resident of Natick, died peacefully on Friday morning, September 20, 2013, at the Miriam Boyd Parlin Hospice Residence in Wayland after a brief illness. Toni was born in Natick on November 2, 1932, one of the twelve children of Sotir and Eleanora (Ndini) Arthur. She was a 1950 graduate of Natick High School. After 32 years of employment with Telecron/General Electric, Toni worked with Commonwealth Gas/NStar until her retirement in 1998. She had been involved throughout her life with the Albanian Orthodox Church of the Annunciation and was a member of the Albanian Women's Society, Vetetima.

Antoinette will be remembered for her kindness and love shared with family and friends. She enjoyed traveling. She is survived by four sisters, Vasilika Verdi and her husband Arthur of Hadley, Flora Busconi of Hopkinton, Pauline Steffon of Auburn, and Loretta Gentilotti and her husband James of Mendon; two brothers, Louis Arthur and his wife Lori of Stratford, CT, and Thomas Arthur and his wife Patricia of Ashland; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins. She was also the sister of the late Nicholas, Arthur, Vingo, George, and Dorothy Ann Arthur. Her funeral services will be held at the Albanian Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, 37 Washington Street, Natick, on Friday, Sept. 27th at 10:00a.m. Burial will follow at Dell Park Cemetery.

Visiting hours will be held at the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, on Thursday 4 - 7p.m. Donations may be made in Antoinette's memory to Albanian Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, 37 Washington Street, Natick, or The Justin Bailey Scholarship Fund, c/o Middlesex Savings Bank, 6 Main Street, Natick, MA 01760. For the guest book and directions please see www.everettfuneral.com .