Hi Family,

I hope this pastoral message finds you well. As some of you are aware today is the start of open enrollment under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare.  And based on what I have heard via various news outlets, a huge number of people are totally mystified about the ACA.

Pastoral care encompasses a lot more than just spirituality or spiritual fitness. It is also concerned with the physical fitness of beings. So I am going to try and demystified the ACA for young adults who need health care insurance and are overwhelmed and/or unsure where to begin.  The first thing you need to know is if you are 26 or younger you can remain on a parent’s health insurance.  For more information about this topic click here.  If your parents do not have health insurance, I suggest you share this message with them.  The second thing you need to know is there are four categories of insurance plans (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum) for you to compare and choose from.  You can find that information here.  A third thing you need to know is that the ACA makes it illegal for you to be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.  You can learn more about that here.  A final thing you need to know is that many preventive health procedures are now FREE.  You can get more information on this topic here.

In conclusion, The Health Insurance Marketplace is Open!  Happy shopping.

As always I would love to hear from you.  You can message me on Facebook at Monica Cummings, email me at mcummings@uua.org or leave a comment for me on the YaYA of Color blog, UU Living Mosaic at http://uuyayaoc.blogs.uua.org/.

Love,

Rev. Monica,