Affordable Care Act meeting coming to Carbon County

Carbon County residents interested in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can soon learn more about who can be helped and affected by the program.

On behalf of Wyoming Senior Citizens Inc., two Carbon County presentations on the ACA will take place. The Platte Valley presentation is at 11 a.m. on Nov. 22, at Saratoga’s Carbon County Library (503 W. Elm in Saratoga). An earlier presentation is at 1 p.m. on Nov. 21, at Rawlins’ Carbon County Library (215 W. Buffalo in Rawlins).

Wyoming Senior Citizens Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to meet the needs of Wyoming’s older residents, and help them maintain their independence. Lee Harden, Navigation Coordinator for Wyoming Senior Citizens Inc., said both Carbon County meetings will feature a one-hour unbiased presentation on the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

“The Affordable Care Act is a way for people of all income levels to receive health care coverage, if they don’t already receive health care coverage through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid,” he said. “We go out into the community and explain the affordable care act law in a non-partisan, as factual as possible manner, and let people know how they can be affected by it directly. We will also have a brief question and answer session on the Affordable Care Act, and let people know how they can apply if they would like to.”

The meetings will cover how the ACA works, how to enroll, how people are affected, plans and prices available, help with enrolling and who is eligible for the program. Harden said the meetings are also necessary because of misinformation or partial information surrounding the ACA.

“We will present the law and be as factual as possible, and let people know about how the act may affect them,” he said. “It’s a good service to the community because there are so many half truths to this law, and it is often misunderstood or misinterpreted. Because there is a lot of misinformation out there, we want to explain things in a clear, concise fashion and in layman’s terms. We want everyone to understand it and be able to form their own opinion of it.”

Harden also mentioned ways that people can apply for the program.

“People can apply online or fill out a paper application, and if they have any questions they can call me,” he said. “We want to make sure we answer everyone’s questions.”

Those with questions on the Affordable Care Act can call Lee Harden at 307-235-5959, or visit http://www.wyomingseniors.com.