www.healthcare.gov - Interactive Timeline Feature Shows What Is Effective When

[TomCADem]

Leading to the elections, the corporate media has been running numerous stories talking about how unpopular health care reform is without any discussion of what health care reform is doing, or what features are currently in place. Here is a nice interative timeline that actually discusses what features of health care reform are effective. Still, it will be tough to get some accurate and fair discussions about the impact of healthcare reform instead of the usual talking points:

http://www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/index.html

Prohibiting Insurance Companies from Rescinding Coverage
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010

In the past, insurance companies could search for an error, or other technical mistake, on a customer’s application and use this error to deny payment for services when he or she got sick. The new law makes this illegal. After media reports cited incidents of breast cancer patients losing coverage, insurance companies agreed to end this practice immediately.

[valerief]

1. It looks like a lot of the Sept 23 changes affect only new plans, not existing ones. nt

[IADEMO2004]

2. Great link K&R

I must email toall my contacts.

[Mimosa]

5. That is 'Great'?

Are you on drugs or drunk? Check the rates.

[eridani]

3. California has had that for many years, and recissions still occur

Cheaper to pay the fine than pay for treatment in many cases. Or, if they don't rescind, they'll just refuse to approve treatment. The expensively ill will mostly die before the administrative hurdles are all cleard.

[Mimosa]

4. I thought our current BC/BS plan was expensive. Look at this!

Right now, each month, partner and I pay $895 a month for our $10,000 aan BC/BS 70/30 policies. The Rx deductible is $1,000 a person before any prescriptions would be covered. In short, we can't really afford what we're paying (and meet the mortgage) and we aren't eligible for medicaid because we aren't dirt poor.

Now, if we dropped our BC/BS individual health plans for 6 months HERE is what we could get. ONLY WE COULDN'T AFFORD THE PREMIUMS.

http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/preexisting/states/ga.html



Below are the monthly PCIP premium rates for Georgia by the age of an enrollee.

Ages 0 to 34: $323

Ages 35 to 44: $387

Ages 45 to 54: $495

Us: Ages 55+: $688 (That would be nearly $1,400 a month!!!!)

In addition to your monthly premium, you will pay other costs. You will pay a $2,500 deductible for covered benefits (except for preventive services) before the plan starts to pay. After you pay the deductible, you will pay a $25 copayment for doctor visits, $4 to $30 for most prescription drugs, and 20% of the costs of any other covered benefits you get. Your out-of-pocket costs cannot be more than $5,950 per year. These costs may be higher, if you go outside the plan’s network.

Learn more about the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan and apply.