HOUSTON – The deadline for signing up for the Affordable Care Act coverage is fast-approaching and while there is much talk in Washington about ending various aspects of ACA coverage, the number of people registering has gone up in many states.
Ken Janda is president and CEO of Community Health Choice, a non-profit organization that provides health care options. He said the move to take away the mandate that everyone buy insurance will only increase costs.
“If Congress takes away the individual mandate, that’s going to cause premiums to go up even more because people will wait until they get sick to buy insurance,” he said.
Janda also talks about the local impacts and why thousands are not buying insurance, why the increase in health care has as much to do with pharmaceuticals and much more.
***There will also be a Newsmakers EXTRA this week with Ken Janda***
ALSO
Texas and Houston received a grade of D from the March of Dimes because of unacceptably high preterm birth rates. March of Dimes maternal health director Heather Butscher, said the hope is to get everyone’s attention about what they can do to change those numbers.
VIDEO: Houston Newsmakers: Regina Jones and Heather Butscher
“Harris County did improve, but we’re still above the state average, and so we have a lot of work to do,” she said. “We have a lot of research to be done; a lot of education and awareness to be done locally.”
Also on the program is Attorney Regina Jones, a March of Dimes Volunteer whose now-teenage son was born weighing 1 pound 5 ounces.
AND
The Children 4 Tomorrow organization is pushing to call attention to child abuse caused by parents during divorce or custody proceedings.
VIDEO: Houston Newsmakers: Craig Childress and Dwilene Lindsey
Dwilene Lindsey started the organization. Clinical psychologist Craig Childress has diagnosed this kind of abuse before.
“The spousal conflict takes over one of the spouses and they begin to use the child as a weapon against the other spouse,” he said.
• Ken Janda, president and CEO Community Health Choice Inc., 713-295-2294, www.communityhealthchoice.org Twitter: @CHCTexas
• Heather Butscher, maternal health director, March of Dimes, Houston, 713-623-2020 http://bit.ly/2AJfza1 Twitter: @Marchofdimeshou
• Regina Jones, preemie mom and March of Dimes volunteer 713-623-2020, http://bit.ly/2AJfza1 Twitter: @Marchoddimeshou
• Dwilene Lindsey, founder, president of Children 4 Tomorrow 713-660-0760, www.children4tomorrow.org Twitter: @Child4Tomorrow
• Craig Childress, clinical psychologist, 909-821-5398, www.drcachildress.org drcraidchildress@gmail.com