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Source: Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.儲存Oct. 28--HYANNIS -- When Andre Dobrochinski's three-year-old son had a medical emergency three years ago in Florida, Dobrochinski had to pay out of pocket for the doctor's visit."I spent $1,200 just to get the kid seen by a doctor," said Dobrochinski, a Brazilian native who has been living on Nantucket for seven years. Not yet a U.S. citizen, Dobrochinski has limited health care through MassHealth, but didn't have coverage at the time of his son's accident."It's weird because it's one country," said Dobrochinski, 37. "It should be the same if we're under the same flag."Dobrochinski was one of several people who stopped by the informational booth set up by the Community Action Committee of Cape Cod and the Islands (CACCI) on Sunday afternoon at the Cape Cod Mall. CACCI wanted to promote upcoming changes in health care coverage and provide information to the public.Like Dobrochinski, most of the people who stopped by the booth were Brazilian immigrants -- the Cape's largest immigrant population -- who were curious about how their health care plans would change as a result of the Affordable Care Act.The federal health insurance reform act is making subsidized health care and dental coverage available to more Massachusetts residents by taking benefits provided by the Massachusetts Health Reform Act of 2006 and expanding them even further."We've been inundated with phone calls from people wanting health insurance," said Camila Santos, the program coordinator for the H.O.P.E. Project, a Community Action Committee program that serves the uninsured and under-insured on the Cape and Islands. CACCI is a nonprofit organization that provides services to low-income Cape and Islands residents.Many of the people the H.O.P.E. Project serves -- approximately 45 percent -- are immigrants, said Caronnanne Procaccini, director of client self-sufficiency and services and compliance.For immigra迷你倉t families especially, the transition can be confusing because there could be different plans within one household based on income and immigration status, said Santos, a Brazilian native who moved to the Cape 25 years ago."People think they don't qualify or don't need it, but we can screen someone within five questions and tell them," said Santos."[There is] a stigma that if you're on MassHealth, you'll be treated differently," said Kelly Hewitt, navigator outreach enrollment specialist for the H.O.P.E. Project. "The reality is, it's not a stigma anymore. Most people do qualify."CACCI has helped to enroll about 80 people since open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act started on Oct. 1, Santos said.Santos and Hewitt said the question they hear the most is, "What do I need to do?"Like Dobrochinski, many people have heard about health care reform in the news, but don't fully understand it, said Santos.Santos said people who are covered by Commonwealth Care II and III plans and above need to reapply for coverage before Dec. 23; otherwise, they will be uninsured on Jan. 1, 2014, even though open enrollment goes through March 2014.If people covered by these plans don't reapply, there may be a gap in their coverage, Hewitt said.On the other hand, people who are covered by the Commonwealth Care I plan (the one without a premium) "will be automatically transitioned" to the new health care plan provided as part of national health care reform."If they don't understand [the plans], they need to come in and talk to us," said Hewitt.Although the names of the health care plans are changing, premium levels are not changing that much, said Hewitt."The plans are all mandated to provide the same coverage," Hewitt said. "[People] are going to stay insured."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) Visit the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) at .capecodonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage