The Future of the
Affordable Care Act

January 2017


In This Issue
Korean Senior Options Program

The Korean Senior Options Program targets Korean seniors living in Franklin County, Ohio. Our primary goal is to provide Korean population who are 55 years of age or older with public assistance and culturally appropriate services in order to fulfill their needs in various aspects. Feel free to reach out to us, if you are struggling with social and language barriers.

Daniel Nam will be the Korean Senior Outreach Specialist as well as the HAY Program Manager. To learn more about the program or if you have any question, please contact Daniel Nam at dnam@aacsohio.org/614-220-4023 x 223.
Medicare Education Workshop
Coming Soon!

Date and time: TBD

Location: 4700 Reed Rd, Suite B, Columbus, OH 43220

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities and people with End-Stage Renal Disease. Be prepared for your and your parents' future. Join our FREE workshop and understand Medicare from today!

Please contact Yihong Dong (614-220-4023 x100 or ydong@aacsohio.org) for more information!
Affordable Care Act

Open Enrollment Period for 2017:
11/01/2016 - 01/31/2017

Get free help signing up for health coverage (Obamacare and Medicaid)!
For more information, please call ( 614-220-4023 ) or email:  Chin-Yin Shih (ext. 224, cshih@aacsohio.org) (English/Mandarin), Yihong Dong  (ext. 100, ydong@aacsohio.org) (English/Mandarin), Asafu Suzuki (ext. 240, asuzuki@aacsohio.org) (English/Japanese).

**The recent election results and congressional efforts  DO NOT  affect open enrollment or your ability to sign up for health care coverage.**
Minority Health Month
April, 2017

Event 1: Healthy Relationship Workshop
04/08/2017 10am - 12pm

Event 2: Colon Cancer Awareness Workshop
04/29/2017 10am - 12pm

Location: Tree of Life Conference Center
5000 Arlington Centre Blvd
Columbus, OH 43220

Please RSVP to Chin-Yin Shih (614-220-4023 x224/cshih@aacsohio.org)

ESL Winter Quarter
Starting January 9, 2017

10 am - 12 noon
Mondays (Beginner Level)
Tuesdays (Intermediate Level)
Wednesdays (Intermediate Level)
Thursdays (Advanced Level)

For more information, please call AACS for more information: 614-220-4023
Women's Quilting Group  
   
Thursdays, 1pm-3pm @AACS

This project seeks to connect women, share stories of  courage, create beauty, and move towards healing in our lives with one another. 

All craft supplies will be provided, and take-home kits will be available. The group will be hosted at AACS (4700 Reed Rd., Suite B, Columbus Ohio, 43220).

To learn more about our quilting group or are interested in attending, please contact our Program Coordinator, Yihong Dong at ydong@aacsohio.org  or 614-220-4023 x 100 .
Ikebana Classes:
Japanese Art of Flower Arrangement
  
Mondays, 2pm-3pm or 3:15pm-4:15pm

Our current classes are full.
Please stay tuned for sign-ups in our next series.

To learn more about our Ikebana classes or are interested attending, contact our Program Coordinator,  Yihong Dong at ydong@aacsohio.org
or 614-220-4023 x 100.
Senior Benefits Program


If you have questions about:
-Medicare Part A, B, & D
-Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs)
-(Medicare Part D) Extra Help
-Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
-Food Stamp Program (SNAP)
-Where to go for help
-Other related questions

Please contact  Yihong Dong at  614-220-4023 x100 or  ydong@aacsohio.org
THE FORGOTTEN WAR
Korea 1950
11/11/2016 - 04/02/2017
Ohio History Center

See an extraordinary exhibit of Korean War photographs taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning  Associated Press photographer Max Desfor.

Admission:
Adult: $10
Youth(6-12): $5
Senior(60+): $9
Ohio History Connection member or Child(5&under): Free.
  
Free Health  Consultation

The second Sunday afternoon, every month
12:45pm - 1:30pm

Columbus Chinese Christian Church
4141 Maize Rd, Columbus, OH 43224

For more information, please contact: Changcheng Zhao, 614-715-2212

Lao Volunteer Donation Association:
Monthly Provisions Giveaway
2017 Produce Market Dates

Saturday, 02/18/17- 10:00 am-1:00 pm

1160 Alum Creek Drive
Columbus, OH 43209

 Please call 614-506-1167 or 614-252-5786 to confirm.
Families living at or below the Federal Poverty Line are eligible to receive free produce. Please bring a bag to carry away your goods.
889 Global Solutions
    We are seeking a fulltime Sr. Project Managers to join our team. International Sourcing Project Managers work with our U.S. clients, employees in 889's Chinese offices, and contacts at Asian factories to manage projects from production through delivery. The ideal candidate will be fluent in Mandarin and be experienced in Asian sourcing.
  • Work closely with sales team and other project managers to help clients place orders
  • Coordinate with 889 China team to qualify new vendors and conduct factory inspections
  • Complete manufacturing and shipping timelines, overseeing production and packaging inspections to ensure the right part arrives at the right time
For more information, please contact 
Andrew Mackley at 614-235-8889/amackley@889globalsolutions.com

December 2016 Newsletter Corrections

In the Affordable Care Act advertisement, the language availability of one of the Navigators (Asafu Suzuki) was stated incorrectly (Japanese/Mandarin). Ms. Suzuki is available to provide services in English and Japanese, and the advertisement in this edition has been updated to reflect this correction.

In the article pertaining to our 40th Anniversary Gala, there was a typographical error in the photo credits for Tiong-Sin So. This spelling is the correct way of spelling Mr. So's name.


 
   

From the Director


Happy New Year, AACS Family!

January is a month of celebrating the arrival of another year in chilly and snowy weather. This year, it is also a time when many Americans are thinking about the Affordable Care Act and the future health coverage in the United States.

Health insurance is an important service for everyone, whether you are suffering from chronic health issues or you only need an annual physical to make sure you are as healthy as you think. Health insurance helps maintain your wellness by providing medical treatments, preventive services, prescription drugs, and other benefits. It also protects you from unexpected costs that you might not be able to afford. However, we all know that full-priced private insurance coverage is often inaccessible to many who cannot afford it. To address this challenge, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed at reducing the costs while paying attention to the quality as well and is now the best option for the millions who would be unable to afford coverage without it. 

The ACA has touched my life in a personal way. One day, my son told me that his friend Will hadn't been in school for over two weeks because he complained about headaches during lunch period and was sent home from there. My son asked me to text Will's mom, Susan, so I sent her a brief message. Two nights later, I received a text from her telling me she was catching the next available flight back to Columbus from California, because Will was scheduled for surgery the next day at Children's Hospital. They had found a tumor in his head. All I remembered was her crying, and my heart was filled with sorrow over their misfortune. 

From then, Will started to undergo many surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and even photonic radiation. His world was suddenly turned over, as he, a poor child, went from a tough football lineman to this fragile boy with tubes in his body. There were no more sports for him but time being spent shuttling between school, home, and the hospital. The family reeling with his diagnosis. Every time I saw him, he always carried a smile, which killed me because I could tell he was in pain but I couldn't do anything for him. 

The story did not stop here. One morning as I was getting ready for work, I received a text from Susan telling me that Will's dad had passed away unexpectedly. This added another layer of tragedy to an already devastating situation. How can God take away his dad now? He needed his dad to be by his side to encourage him, to see him recover, to see him grow up. How can this happen to him or to anyone? 

Because of the tragedies that happened to the family, Susan had to take on the financial responsibility as a mother and pay Will's medical bill by herself. Being a self-employed small business owner, there would have been no way she could have any insurance coverage without the ACA or to afford on her own the total medical expenses that came close to $900,000. The ACA relieved Susan's financial burden by ensuring she had coverage. She did not have to worry about her coverage being dropped due to her son's existing disease. The little family was saved from a helpless and hopeless situation. 

Without the ACA, how many families like Will and Susan would be left to shoulder hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of medical bills on their own? How many stories tragedies would we have to endure every day? With the Senate's recently approved a budget resolution, Congress has taken its initial step toward repealing the ACA. Although President-Elect Trump has said there would be a simultaneous replacement for the ACA, no plans or details have been disclosed to the public. Please call your Congresspersons and Senators and tell them not to repeal the ACA. I know I want to see Will grow up, get married, and have children. I know I also want to see many like Will live their full lives.

Most of us know stories like Will's and recognize that some families in our communities need affordable health care. We encourage qualifying households to sign up for Medicaid or for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. While Medicaid is free and government-provided, the Health Insurance Marketplace is a discounted and private insurance. You may be eligible for one of these options, and AACS staff can help you to see if you are eligible. Don't forget to sign up now, because the 2017 Open Enrollment Period for the Health Insurance Marketplace ends on January 31st, and unless you meet criteria to qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you will be unable to receive Marketplace coverage for 2017 after this deadline. Medicaid applicants can apply at any time during the year. We hope our community members will make sure that they are signed up to get protective health coverage.

Sincerely,
Kathy Chen


Welcome, New AACS Team Members!!

Shweta Bhatt
Health Care & Prevention, Program Coordinator

Shweta is a public health professional born and raised in India. She became interested in health and healthy behaviors at a young age. This encouraged her to devote to public health and anthropology. Certified in public health (CPH), she holds a MPH degree from the Ohio State University and is a certified health education specialist (CHES) as well. In college, Shweta pursued her interest in community health through her participation in a variety of activities, including presenting at conferences and interning at the Delaware General Health District. Before moving to the U.S., she earned a doctoral degree in Anthropology from Delhi University in India and had worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the All India Institute of Medical S ciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

Her areas of interest include primary prevention, social determinants of health, health disparities, health literacy, cultural competence, program evaluation and using data to develop community decisions. She is passionate about working to develop the knowledge and skills needed for making healthy decisions in order to promote healthy living in her community.

Prior to joining AACS, Shweta had accomplished projects with prominent community health organizations in Columbus including UHCAN and Walk with a Doc. Now she is excited about having the opportunity to serve the incredibly diverse AAPI communities in Central Ohio, particularly the health vulnerable and unprivileged groups. Being an immigrant and a public health specialist, Shweta brings a unique skills set to AACS.
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Franchesca Brown
Healthy Asian Youth (HAY) Program Coordinator

Franchesca was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Being the second oldest of eight children, she had to help her younger siblings with various tasks, which greatly influenced her. She loves to help others and to learn about different cultures of the world. During her five years at the Ohio State University, she studied International Studies with a specialization in Latin American Studies. 

She chose to work for AACS because she saw how important it was to the Asian American community, and she wants to be part of an organization that has an impact on a community. In addition, she has been volunteering with Healthy Asian Youth for three years, and she loves to continue to work with the children in the HAY program so they can succeed in school.
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Joy Qiao
Social Media and Communications Intern

Joy was born in northeast China, grew up in Guangdong Province, and moved to the United States in high school. With her family background of migration that started from her grandparents as well as her interest in cultural diversity, she speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese and knows a variety of Chinese dialects. She is passionate about history, psychology, poems, literature, writing in Chinese, drawing, cooking, and nature. She LOVES to go to zoos. 

In half of her sophomore year, she changed her major from Pharmaceutical Sciences to Communications because she did not want to follow what her parents wanted her to do and believed Communications could provide more opportunities to work on what she liked. 

She is currently a junior majoring in Strategic Comm and minoring in Professional Writing at the Ohio State University. She is hoping her writing can raise awareness of the Asian American community and bring about some positive outcomes.
Healthy Asian Youth (HAY) 
Christmas Party 2016

The kids, program staff, and volunteers.

The 2016 Healthy Asian Youth (HAY) Christmas party was held at the Glenwood Community Center on December 16th. The celebration marked another successful year for the program, with plenty of food served and presents given out. Every student in the HAY Program had the opportunity to receive presents of their choice and to take pictures with our Santa Claus!

We appreciate the contributions of our volunteers, staff, and supporters to the progress of the HAY Program in 2016. It was their generous support and continuous efforts that allowed us to create a better, happier environment for our participants.
Health Insurance
Education Workshop
The Health Insurance Education Workshop wa s held on January 21st at AACS. AACS staff provided comprehensive information about how to use health insurance, including an explanation of terminology, health insurance policy, difference between co-pays and deductibles, how to find a health provider, how to make an appointment with physicians and other  topics to further the participants' health education. 

Our special guest Jody Lombardo, the manager of the Ohio Marketplace at CareSource, generously answered questions that the participants had on CareSource and engaged in a helpful discussion with them. We are glad that the participants found this workshop useful and informative and hope that this health literacy event will be able to prepare them to sign up for health insurance that is right for them and to receive protective coverage.
Hep B Program Dinner
Dr. O'Handley and residents from Mount Carmel.

Dr. Son Do, a leading expert in HBV research, and Laura Horner of Gilead Sciences presenting at the dinner.

Laura Horner, Dr. Son Do, and board member Karen Jiobu.

Dr. C.S. Chen and Dr. Sophia Peng from OSU.