'This is one way we can communicate' 

A few dozen New Orleans residents gathered Saturday morning at St. Mary of the Angels Church to hear regional experts describe how national health care reform will affect them.

"We want to see how we can empower the community to improve their health," said Vincent Sessoms, chief operating officer of Daughters of Charity Services in New Orleans.

The forum, titled "Bringing Health Care Reform Home," was organized by the faith-based community organizing network the Micah Project. It brought together experts and local congregation leaders to discuss the nuances of the federal health insurance law that passed earlier this year.

The panel fielded questions about finding affordable premiums, what steps parents need to take to keep children on their policies through the age of 26, and new incentives for employers to provide insurance.

Stella Reese, a member of the St. Peter Claver Church congregation, said the Micah Project conducted a survey in its congregations, and health care was one of the top three concerns. Over the past two years, the local Micah network has worked with its national affiliate to advocate for health care reform.

The speakers included Sessoms, Jauna Crear, executive director of Health Law Advocates of Louisiana, and Tom Portier, director of the Office of Health within the Louisiana Department of Insurance. They explained how the new legislation will affect individual health insurance policies and gave the timeline by which different changes will be implemented.

One resident asked whether the new law provides assistance for those with medical debt. Crear responded that while the law does not make any provisions, her organization provides services to those with medical debt.

"We want to hear from you about what issues we need to be handling," she said.

Constance Varnado and Gale Armant, both members of the St. Mary of the Angels Church congregation who attended the forum, said the information is particularly useful for elderly residents who do not always have access to the Internet.

"People here, we gather at our churches," Reese said. "This is one way we can communicate to a vast majority of people about health care."