Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on the controversy surrounding health insurance for same-sex marriage partners.  You can find part 1 here.

Let’s assume that the Defense of Marriage Act (DMA) eventually gets repealed. States that don’t support gay marriage aren’t allowed to deny that other states do? Would this then open up the forum for the Federal Government to acknowledge same-sex marriages? It seems that for Obama to agree with what this appeals court in California is bringing up, the Defense of Marriage Act would have to be repealed. We’re talking about health benefits for federal employees and their partners — and it seems that same-sex partners of federal employees won’t be seeing health benefits any time soon unless the DMA is axed.

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Oh Boston…a stunning city rich with history, and understandably mad about their Red Sox. After all, they just so recently overcame the Curse of the Bambino to win a World Series, and it’s no surprise that the city and the baseball cans are rabid for the team’s good fortune to continue. One hospital that provides health care in Boston, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, loves the team so much that they are not going to give up their partnership being the Sox’s “official hospital” while facing massive budget cuts. What is the hospital having to cut to keep ties with the team intact, and how might this effect hospital employees?

A Hospital’s Swing and a Miss

Imagine you are a hardworking, dedicated employee of your local hospital. You work hard, provide patients with the best care imaginable, and one day you come in to work to find that you won’t be getting matching contributions to your 401k as you were promised upon your initial hire. Why? “Oh, we want to keep out relationship with the Boston Red Sox strong. Sorry.”

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The language barrier for recent immigrants to the United States is taking a toll on how they receive access to and understand their health care options, according to a recent report by Kaiser. This further exemplifies the holes in the United States’ health care system, and raises huge concerns over those who are eligible and paying for health care yet are not receiving what they deserve. What is happening here and how can it be fixed?

Health care and immigration

I can only imagine how frustrating it is to be a newcomer to this country and want to get health care coverage, but not be able to find a single person to help you understand your options. For many who call the help lines for a plan like Medicaid, you may find that you can get instructions in Spanish, but what about the other hundreds of languages that immigrants speak? And what about other options for helping recent immigrants understand their health care options?

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As many Americans had hoped, President Obama is in office and the wheels appear to be in motion. The health care situation in the United States is just as grim as the rest of our economy, so it’s encouraging to see that the new administration is wasting no time rolling up their sleeves to let the health care reform work begin. However, before we get our hopes up that we are going to see some radical changes in the way health care is handled this year, some realistic expectations should be put in place. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we shouldn’t expect new policymakers to miraculously turn around the somewhat dismal space our health care system has become. But what can we expect in 2009 from our government, and what might health care start to look like?

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Editor’s Preface: The new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is a revolutionary step in addressing our most vital economic challenges. A significant portion of the money doled out by the ARRA ($59 billion) will go towards immediately addressing the health crisis. This is the second part in a two-part series on subsidies for COBRA in the ARRA. We have also extensively covered this subject in “COBRA Health Coverage in a Bad Economy” and “Stimulus Package and COBRA Health Coverage.” You can find Part 1 of this series at: “COBRA Health Subsidies and the Economic Recovery Act“

COBRA Subsidies and Your Health Insurance

Knowing who is and isn’t qualified for this 65% COBRA subsidy coverage can get a little sticky. The ARRA only provides the subsidy to AEI, or “assistance eligible individuals.” Who qualifies as one of these special AEI’s? Anyone who is eligible for COBRA coverage on or before September 1, 2008 or on or after December 31, 2009. This is an interesting way of looking at things, because wouldn’t it just be simpler to say anyone on or after September 1, since December 31 falls after that date? Moving on. An AEI is also someone who chooses to use COBRA during the original COBRA period, or during a special period of coverage. Just what is a special period of coverage? This special election period begins on the date of enactment of the ARRA and ends 60 days after the person’s health plan administrator provides the required notice to the individual. You also have to be covered by COBRA via an involuntary termination (covered in my last post) by your former employer’s health insurance coverage plan.

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Sometimes you just need to get seen by a doctor, stat. Maybe you aren’t having an emergency like having a baby or cradling your severed limb in your hands, but things like a sprained ankle or a rapidly rising temperature require some fairly prompt attention. According to Health Net’s website, urgent care services are “medically necessary services which are required for an illness or injury that would not result in further disability or death if not treated immediately, but require professional attention and have the potential to develop such a threat if treatment is delayed longer than 24 hours.” What is the difference between emergency and urgent care? How can you get seen quickly without spending a ton of your hard earned dollars? How can you make sure that your urgent care visit will be covered by your health insurance? Read on to learn the best way to approach urgent care.

Assess Your Symptoms

If you are feeling like you are having a heart attack, get thee to an emergency room, stat. Urgent care centers are not for people who feel like their lives are in danger. But, if you’re uncomfortable from a minor sports injury or your flu feels like it’s just getting worse, an urgent center will be the way to go. Before you hop into a car to head for the emergency room or an urgent care center, ask yourself the following questions: Could I tolerate the way I’m feeling for another 48 hours? Do I want to spend less than $600 on a visit? Do I have the time to wait to be seen? If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, point your car in the direction of the nearest urgent care center.

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