Today, the Affordable Care Act is six months old. Big deal, you say. What has it done for me? You may be surprised. But you are not alone. Only a small percentage of Americans know what will happen as of the 23rd of September 2010 or what has already happened since reform's passage back in March.
The National Council on Aging posed 12 questions about the law to 636 seniors and found that fewer than 17% of them knew half the answers. For instance, only one in three knew that Medicare will offer free annual wellness exams.
In part because of general ignorance about what is in the law (as well as the many inaccuracies circulating in the media and the internet), the support for health reform is still low -- under 50% -- but think about it: if you haven't been sick or had contact with your insurance company or the health system lately, and you don't follow this issue carefully, how would you know?
So in case a pollster calls you to ask, or someone in your family does get sick and needs to know this -- here is what will be required as of Thursday September 23rd (or has already happened):
1) Preventive care will be covered without any co-payments, co-insurance or deductibles -- you can get some cancer screenings, flu shots, vaccinations for your kids, well baby visits -- all covered without out of pocket payments from you.
2) Children below the age of 19 cannot be denied coverage because they had a pre-existing condition -- for families of children who have been ill, this is a huge relief. It doesn't mean the coverage is cheaper, but for desperate families, at least it will be available without rejection. Some plans have already done this.
3) If you have no insurance at all because you have been sick or rejected for insurance for at least six months, you can sign up for a state "pre-existing condition" program and get coverage. Check out what Texas is doing in this regard. Check out your own state to find out if you are eligible. These programs are already working in many states.
4) Annual limits on coverage will be limited and lifetime limits will be banned. This may not mean anything to you if you have not had a serious illness -- but believe me, if you or a family member, with insurance, has ever faced those limits, they are quite terrifying. You can be in the middle of treatment for a serious cancer, reach your $100,000 annual or $1million lifetime limit and all of a sudden you face being without any coverage at all. This is new.
5) Adult children can stay on their parents' plan until age 26. (For some employer-based plans, this coverage may not start until January or the new plan year.) My friend's son had cancer and was about to be dropped from their plan just as his treatment was starting. Now he can still be covered. For young adults who are unemployed or work for companies without insurance, this provision will be very helpful.
6) More than 4 million seniors will be helped by changes in the law by the end of the year and many have already received $250 rebate checks on their "donut hole" prescription drug costs. The donut hole will continue to be diminished until it no longer exists by 2020.
And there are other changes that may be invisible to you -- a program to help companies defray the cost of their retiree medical costs; tax credits to small businesses to help them afford to buy health insurance for their employees; websites to help you figure out where to get insurance while you are waiting for the whole program to kick in by 2014.
So blow out some candles and sing or hum along ... "and many more..."
And this will even BRING COSTS DOWN.
Wish the party of NO and blue dogs had not raised such a hue and cry, otherwise that option was on the table initially.
Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction.
I just received my new open-enrollment package, and my premiums WENT DOWN for next year (adminstered by CIGNA).
Now, our story:
My wife has been a contributor to our society, but she fell ill recently. Just this year alone the costs of the original billing was nearly $600,000 and climbing. But because we have insurance the total cost was negotiated by the insurance company to about $60,000 TOTAL so far. This is exactly WHY the system is broken.
How can the insurance company negotiate to the costs down by 90%? I am told that it is because they have the "numbers" of those who they insure to be able to negotiate the costs so low.
Really? And exactly how many people live in the U.S.? There is some negotiation power!
Our government is completely broken. People that work for the government generally cannot hold a job anywhere else. The issue is basically the result of greed. Greed knows no political affiliation.
Personal Opinion: Most Lawyers (very few exceptions) are Liars and Crooks. All Politicians are Lawyers; Therefore, ALL Politicians are Crooks and Liars.
If these people were legitimate, why would they spend a million dollars fighting to get a job that pays under $200,000 a year salary? Does this sound like a sound decision? Really?
All the "Perks", never ending salary (for Congress & Senate), their own personal Health care system and tons of lobbyists with lots of money to give away. Wow. How could anyone say No?
Makes me sick - along with Wall Street Bonuses & Banker Bailouts. I know if I broke the law, I would be in Jail. What about the crooked bankers? They get a government job. Guess they know too much.....
and random rhetoric...
My husband did all of those things. He exercised, ate a really healthy diet, never smoked. He even had genetics on his side. His dad lived to be 90 and his mom who still works as a professor will celebrate her 90th birthday in a couple of months. That didn't protect him from getting a brain tumor. He's had multiple surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy. He's no longer able to work. Fortunately, he's covered under my health insurance and has received excellent care. He's too young for Medicare. If I lost my job, his "pre-existing conditions" would make it virtually impossible for him to get health insurance.
My point is that if this could happen to my family, it could happen to anyone. Health insurance is not like car insurance--if you can't afford to safely operate a car, you can take the bus. Health care is a right that civilized countries grants to its citizens; it shouldn't be left up to for-profit companies to make the rules. Most of the time we have insurance for the "what ifs" in life but sometimes they really happen and we need to make sure that quality health care is available for everyone.
Start from the ground up; if everything were a right, no one would ever work for anything. This mindset started from the civil rights movement of yesteryear. Such has paralyzed many black people. ~~~Preston Weiters~~~
Your efforts, I hope, will bring some senses to those who oppose such an important law, mainly due to ignorance.
Scared wusses!
It Can't Happen Here...?
You bet it can and it will if people don't get their acts together mighty quick.
Wusses, all of them!
Of course annual limits on coverage can be limited. That is the very definition of coverage.
More importantly, the ACTUAL effects of the law on average citizens is WHY the bill has no support.
Increased rates, and decreased coverage. The facts on the ground, as it were.
At present State insurance boards regulate insurance including rate increases and coverage limits.
Under PPAC, Federal regulators will perform the same function
And guess what?
It's just as easy to 'lobby' State regulators as it will be to 'lobby' Federal regulators for rate increases and coverage decreases.