Understanding the Affordable Care Act

Thomas Pruski, RN, MAPS Director for Healthy Ministry In order to assist faith community leaders and health ministry leaders in understanding the Affordable Care Act and how it may impacts you, HMA has listed many trusted resources to help you, your organization, and faith community. These resources talk about where to find the latest information on the Affordable Care Acts implementation, what has shaped the community benefit programs of healthcare systems, and what are some emerging best practice models that could develop from this new healthcare law.

http://www.hhs.gov/partnerships/aca_act_and_community/index.html

Health Care Law Toolkit for Faith and Community-Based Organizations: Created by the HHS Partnership Center this toolkit includes: facts sheets, talking points, ideas on how you can help the uninsured, and information on the health care law made simple.   Toolkit on Substance Use, Mental Health and the Health Care Law:  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have partnered with 40 national behavioral health to organizations to provide Getting Ready for the Health Insurance Marketplace.  This toolkit is available in several different formats - Getting Ready (General), Community Prevention, Consumer Peer Family, Homeless Services, Criminal Justice, and Treatment Providers. Healthcare.gov - this is the best place to go for governmental updates in regards to implementing the Affordable Care Act as well as information on available seminars. The Public Health Institute and the Centers for Disease Control "Best Practices for Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy Development: A Review of Scientific Methods, Current Practice, and Future Potential", Feb. 2012. This outlines community benefit standards for healthcare institutions in light of new healthcare legislation. Learning Collaborative (Health Systems Learning Group) voluntary, peer-led national initiative with a general goal to contribute to the transformation of the systems accountable for the health of communities by helping those organizations to lead boldly and push the edge of innovation. outlines promising best practice models in implementing new healthcare law in communities in an executive summary and monograph See additional items that have been added under New Healthcare Marketplace in the "Also In This ISSUE" section below.