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The Government Take on Health Care Reform
Information provided by Thomas C. Weiss - Published: 2010-04-15
The new health care reform promises to prevent denials of care and coverage, to include pre-existing conditions, while making health insurance affordable for middle class families and small businesses through tax cuts for health care and reduction of premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
It promises people the ability to purchase health insurance at any time. Health care reform claims to strengthen Medicare benefits with lower prescription drug costs for persons in the, 'donut hole,' chronic care, as well as preventive care that is free. Kathleen Sebelius of the Health and Human Services Department states that health care reform will reduce waste and focus on results.
There are a number of parts of health care reform that are supposed to begin this year. Other portions of health care reform are set to begin next year, or in coming years. Tax credits related to small businesses of up to thirty-five percent of premiums will apparently be available to businesses that choose to offer health care coverage to their employees this year. In the year 2014, these small businesses are supposed to receive tax credits covering fifty-percent of health care premiums.
Health care reform states that discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions is no longer allowed on the parts of insurance companies. The provision within health care reform is set to take effect six months after enactment, although it will take until the year 2014 before this provision covers everyone.
The new health care reform law presents assistance for people who are uninsured due to pre-existing conditions until an exchange becomes available. The exchange is referred to as a, 'high-risk pool,' and provides access to insurance for people who are uninsured due to pre-existing conditions through temporary, subsidized, high-risk pools of insurance. This form of coverage is supposed to be available at this time.
According to health care reform, insurance companies are banned from dropping people from coverage should they become sick. The government refers to this as, 'ending rescissions.' This provision in health care reform is due to take effect six months after the enactment of health care reform.
The Obama administration has stated that through health care reform it will begin to close the Medicare part D donut hole. The Obama administration will provide a $250 rebate to people that are Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010. Starting in the year 2011, this provision of health care reform institutes a fifty-percent discount on prescription medications in the donut hole. The provision apparently promises to close the donut hole entirely, but it will take until the year 2020 to do so.
Health care reform states that preventive care will be free for persons on Medicare. It will eliminate co-payments for preventive services, exempting preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program. The provision does not take effect until January 1st, 2011.
The new health care reform law allows people to remain on their parents health care insurance coverage until they reach the age of twenty-six. It requires new health plans and certain grandfathered plans to allow people to remain on their parents' insurance policy until they are adults of the age twenty-six at their parents' choice. This provision of health care reform becomes effective six months after enactment.
Health care reform by the Obama administration also creates a temporary re-insurance program until exchanges become available with the intention of offsetting the costs of health insurance premiums for employers and retirees between the ages of fifty-five and sixty-four. This provision is due to take effect six months after the enactment of health care reform.
Health care reform prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime limits on coverage. As with other provisions of health care reform, this provision will take six months before it is enacted.
The new health care reform law restricts the use of annual limits on the parts of insurance companies. The restrictions will be defined by the Health and Human Services Department. These restrictions are set to take place six months after enactment, although it will take until the year 2014 for the use of annual limits by insurance companies to be prohibited in relation to new plans and grandfathered group health plans.
Six months after health care reform is enacted, it will ensure that people who buy new insurance plans have access to internal and external appeals processes in order to appeal decisions made by their health insurance company.
Health care reform requires insurance plans in individual and small group markets to spend eighty-percent of dollars on medical services. It requires insurance plans in large group markets to spend eighty-five percent on medical services. Insurance companies that choose not to have to provide rebates to policyholders. This provision of health care reform does not take place until January 1st of 2011.
The new health care reform law is supposed to increase funding for community health centers, which are supposed to double the number of people they see at these centers of the next five years. This provision of health care reform is set to begin in 2011.
The Obama administration's health care reform is supposed to increase the number of primary care practitioners. This provision is supposed to begin in the year 2011 as well.
Health care reform prohibits new group health plans from establishing eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher wage employees. This provision is set to take place six months after enactment.
The new health care law is supposed to provide assistance to individual states in the establishment of health insurance consumer assistance. These offices are supposed to help people with the filing of complaints and appeals. This provision of health care reform is supposed to begin this year.
Health care reform is also supposed to create a grant program with the purpose of supporting individual states with the purpose of requiring insurance companies to submit justification for requested rate increases. Insurance companies who present increases that are either excessive or unjustified as determined by somebody in the government will be unable to participate in the new health insurance exchanges. This aspect of health care reform is set to become effective in the year 2011.
- This web page is from the Disabled World Healthcare Reform News section which provides: Latest news articles and information regarding the United States Health Care Reform Legislation.
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