Beginning Oct.1, the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment will begin on-line at healthcare.gov. Whether or not you agree with the law, it is critical to know what to expect and how it will impact access to health care for you and your family.
As a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, I believe the benefits are clear and already being felt by millions of Americans. They are:
– Insurance companies cannot drop you when you are sick.
– You cannot be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
– There are no annual limits on health care coverage.
– You have access to various free preventive services.
There are also specific benefits for women under Obamacare such as insurance companies not being able to charge women more than men and women no longer having to pay a co-pay for birth control.
Over 20 million women have already accessed free preventive services including mammograms and pap smears.
Starting in January 2014, Americans will see new benefits as well. Medicare and private insurers will fully cover preventive services, greatly reducing costs on millions of families and seniors. However, for the last several months, I have been hearing from local Hoosiers concerned about how their health coverage will change on Oct. 1.
Next Tuesday is a starting line; not a deadline, but not everyone will need to take action. Rest assured that the Affordable Care Act allows you to keep your current insurance if you are already covered. If you currently have health insurance from your employer, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or Tricare your benefits do not change and you will not be affected.
For the uninsured, a new health care marketplace will allow 48 million Americans, including over 900,000 Hoosiers, to choose between a range of health plans. Additionally, over 860,000 of Indiana’s uninsured may qualify for tax credits to purchase coverage in the marketplace, allowing many to pay $100 or less per month in premiums. Think about that: You can offer your family the security of health care for less than your cell phone bill.
Companies with 50 or more employees have until 2015 to make changes to their company plans. Small businesses with under 50 employees will be exempt from requirements to provide coverage, but can receive tax credits to provide insurance to their employees.
It is important to remember where we were a few years ago. About 14,000 Americans a day were losing health care coverage in early 2009. This trend of declining health care coverage and rising costs necessitated a comprehensive approach that makes health care cheaper for all Americans.
For information, call the Affordable Care Act Federal Call Center at 1-800-318-2596.
