Health care reform questions: Where can I get help?

Q: Will there be health care advocates for people who are not able to understand the complexities of the health care process? I have a family member who cannot work and is in dire medical need and struggling with doctor and drug costs. What help will they get from the health care reform?

A: Yes, there definitely will be advocates to help people navigate the complexities of finding the right health coverage. Health care reform includes a network of navigators and other people to help, and many insurance agents and brokers can help as well. Here's a list of the organizations that have received grants to provide in-person assistance here in Washington state.

Here in Washington state, you can sign up with the Washington HealthPlanFinder to be contacted by assistance staff within the first two weeks of October. They can answer your questions and help with enrollment in the exchange, if that's the best option for you. The coverage would start in January 2014.

In this particular situation, with your relative struggling today to pay for medical care and prescription drugs, feel free to give our consumer advocacy staff a call. They can walk you through the options, including free or low-cost medical, vision and dental clinics, help paying for drugs, and how to appeal when a health insurer won't pay for a treatment or prescription.

The hotline number is 1-800-562-6900. (Don't live in Washington state? Here's how to find your own state's insurance regulator.) You can also email us at AskMike@oic.wa.gov.