End Homelessness by Using the New Healthcare Options in the U.S.

6 Best Ways to End Homelessness by Using the New Healthcare Options

Stop Talking About Homelessness and Start Helping the Homeless Help Themselves

Many, if not all of us, are "one serious accident", "one serious illness", "one economic downturn" away from being homeless. 

Imagine yourself having Alzheimer's and homeless. You might or might not know you need medical help. Even if someone told you that healthcare was now available, you might not even understand him or her or have the physical ability to enroll in this new health option. 

This is the plight of many homeless. They might know about the new health options, but do not know how to enroll. Some homeless are "so out of it", for whatever reason, they cannot understand or comprehend they have new healthcare options. 

Thus, creates a service opportunity for average people to help the homeless help themselves. Most homeless do not choose their lifestyle. Many are afflicted with physical or mental conditions that restrict their choices in life. Maybe they want to do better in life, if only they had the health they so long wanted, but was out of reach to them. 

Below are six suggestions for people, just like you and me, to help implement Affordable Health Care for homeless people. Your efforts might very well end or prevent homelessness for one or more persons. Even your tiniest effort will probably help. 

Tips:

• Do not try to go it alone. Some homeless people might be very desperate, and maybe dangerous. Work with a team of some sort.
• Try not to re-invent the wheel, e.g. creating your own flyers, etc. Find out what others are doing and maybe volunteer your time, efforts, and expertise.
• Ask first before you do something. Your best-contrived efforts might not help at all and maybe even hurt. Bounce your ideas off like-minded people and see what they think.
• Do not get discouraged. There is a lot of opposition to this new health care option. Do not let them get you down. You are working for the homeless and they do not have many options. You can make a positive difference in someone's life. Try it and see how it goes. Your reward might be the smile on someone's face as the person light up with renewed hope.
• Learn about the new healthcare options in the U.S. The links below might be enough to get started. Your local library can help you "find more like this". In addition, your local library can offer additional suggestions how you could help locally where you live. Become familiar with the existing tools to aid in enrollment. Check out the "Enroll America" link below. Review the "Affordable Care Act Resource Kit", especially the section on "Take Action in Your Region, State and Community". Review the "Official Resources", especially "Other Partner Resources", to find promotion materials.

6 Best Suggestions - Pick one or more and start today!

1. Ask at your local Homeless Shelter how you can help with the Affordable Care rollout. Tasks might include providing transportation, making and distributing flyers, informing the homeless of their new health care option, etc.
2. Ask government officials how you can best help the homeless get the new Affordable Health Care.
3. Build on the work of "Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program". Collaborate with them and learn their best practices. Even if VA covers veteran's healthcare, spouses and dependents generally are not covered by VA benefits. Hence, the rest of the family still needs healthcare coverage.
4. Teach your children and/or students about how the new Health Reform has great potential to end or prevent homelessness. Maybe they want to help in some way and need adult supervision. The students, themselves, might be in a homeless situation or know of someone who is. Teaching resources have been developed and are included in the references below.
5. Share your experiences with others, so others can learn from you. You might find better ways to Enroll America. You might not end homelessness, but at least you know you have done all you can to provide an opportunity for others to receive affordable healthcare.
6. On an ongoing basis, encourage poor or homeless people to use their healthcare opportunities. Show them how to help themselves. Suggest they get the help they need. If their health improves, maybe their homeless situation will take care of itself. When people feel better on the outside, they feel better about themselves on the inside, and want to help themselves. Someday those same people might help others help in similar situations.

Takeaways:

• The "Affordable Care Act" and newly expanded Medicaid have great potential to decrease homelessness.
• Average people like you and me, can help Homeless Americans learn about their new health care options, help them enroll, and encourage them to participate in their own health care. By doing so, you are helping others help themselves.

For more information:  

Homeless Healthcare - Past, Present, and Future

• Homelessness - Health Care - General Information
• Using Health Reform to End Homelessness - "The Affordable Care Act, and the expansion of Medicaid in particular, is the secret weapon in the fight against homelessness."
• Obamacare will improve health care for homeless, study says - "Obamacare will be a huge boon to homeless people and save the states money at the same time, according to a Yale study released Monday."
• How Obamacare Helped Paul, A Homeless California Man, Finally Get Insurance - "Hope isn't an insurance policy."
• The Affordable Care Act's Role in Preventing and Ending Homelessness - "People experiencing homelessness often have complex health challenges that both contribute to, and are exacerbated by, homelessness. They generally have limited access to health care because they are often unemployed, lacking employer-sponsored insurance, and living in poverty. As a result, many people who are homeless have had to rely on emergency room visits and uncompensated hospital care, resulting in poor health outcomes, higher mortality risks, and higher public costs."
• Homeless, Poor Covered Under Affordable Care Act, But Many Don't Know It - "But there are many obstacles for the homeless, including proof of citizenship and ID. Others simply don't know about the Affordable Care Act."

How to Prepare and Take Action to Help the Homeless with Healthcare

• Enroll America - Outreach
• Official Resources - "Are you planning a local event to help people with the Marketplace? The resources on this page can help you."
• Affordable Care Act Resource Kit - "The information and materials referenced in this document have been collected from existing websites, including the official Healthcare.gov and Department of Health and Human Services websites."
• Homelessness Resource Center - Affordable Care Act - "Learn, Connect, Share"
• Map to find Homeless Shelters and Service Organizations - "The Homeless Shelter Directory provides Homeless Shelters and Homeless Service Organizations. This includes all resources necessary to help the needy."
• Obama administration offers strategies to promote Obamacare in schools - "The Obama administration has posted materials online aimed at promoting the new health-care law in schools."
• To Help Navigate Obamacare, United Way, Catholic Church, Others Get $67 Million - "The Obama administration today awarded $67 million in grants to more than 100 organizations who have "who have volunteered to help Americans learn about the health care coverage available in the marketplace.""
• Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program - "The central goal is to reduce homelessness among Veterans by conducting outreach to those who are the most vulnerable and are not currently receiving services and engaging them in treatment and rehabilitative programs."
• 50 Ways to End Homelessness by Using the New Healthcare Options
  

Assistance in Actual Enrollment

• How do I get help enrolling in the Marketplace? - "The Marketplace will offer several kinds of assistance to help you apply for coverage and choose a plan that meets your needs."

Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not medical or legal advice. Seek professional assistance as needed or wanted.