Like your health care policy? You may be losing it (AP Story)

[still_one]

"Health law surprise: Many private policies could be canceled because they don't measure up

Many people who buy their own health insurance could get surprises in the mail this fall: cancellation notices because their current policies aren't up to the basic standards of President Barack Obama's health care law."

Of course these headlines only go on later in the article that it will allow consumers more options, and comparison, but they do not want to put that as the headline, because maybe it would imply that it is a positive thing, and you don't want to do that, especially if you are AP


http://news.yahoo.com/health-care-policy-may-losing-184848899.html

[freshwest]

1. Makes sense yahoo would have nothing good to say about Obamacare...

[russspeakeasy]

2. You have to shower after reading some of the posts on yahooo.

[still_one]

3. I don't read the user posts, I learned that a long time ago.

[freshwest]

6. No kidding. Nasty site!

[Pragdem]

4. Solution: Get one up to standard and stop whining. nt

[quadrature]

5. I don't remember a new 'standard' being part of the deal

perhaps someone could refresh my memory

[antigop]

7. the PPACA requires essential health benefits coverage

http://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/e/essential.html

A set of health care service categories that must be covered by certain plans, starting in 2014.

The Affordable Care Act ensures health plans offered in the individual and small group markets, both inside and outside of the Affordable Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges), offer a comprehensive package of items and services, known as essential health benefits. Essential health benefits must include items and services within at least the following 10 categories: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

Insurance policies must cover these benefits in order to be certified and offered in Exchanges, and all Medicaid state plans must cover these services by 2014.

Also:
"Starting with plan years or policy years that began on or after September 23, 2010, health plans can no longer impose a lifetime dollar limit on spending for these services. All plans, except grandfathered individual health insurance policies, must phase out annual dollar spending limits for these services by 2014."

There are also limits on deductibles, and max out-of-pocket charges.

If your current plan doesn't comply, you will have to switch to a compliant plan by Jan .1.

I think that's what they are saying.

Your premiums may go up because the new plan may offer better coverage.

[Schema Thing]

9. Then you didn't hear any-fucking-thing about the deal.

So you shouldn't comment as if you did hear something about "the deal".


IOW, you're trolling.

[quadrature]

11. this is what I thought the deal was ...

Last edited Thu May 30, 2013, 02:17 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/3

first paragraph that starts with 'THE PRESIDENT' ...


...... If you have insurance that you like,
then you will be able to keep that insurance. ...

[still_one]

12. As I read it, it is still true with one important condition, all the insurance coverage needs to

meet a minimum standard

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. That just goes to show how bad a deal we've been getting

I don't know how many people are going to complain too much about getting a new BETTER plan (and get help from the government to purchase it). I for one am planning to ditch my current HDHP if I can find a better one on the exchange.


I guess that having a better plan is a pretty awful thing, huh? Are people REALLY going to be upset about possibly having to ditch a crummy plan? I swear, only in America do you find people whom actually get upset about getting treated better than a peon and actually consider it a form of tyranny to ensure that everybody has the same opportunities as everybody else. I.just.don't.get.it.

[still_one]

13. but AP goes out of its way to muddle the issue trying to give a different impression, and hoping

that most won't finish the article, since many lack comprehension skills

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Unfortunately

you're probably right

[pnwmom]

15. Exactly. n/t

[frazzled]

10. If your policy isn't up to the basic standards of ACA, you probably don't like it

Or shouldn't, because it would be a piece of crap.

This is a completely specious (and hypothetical) complaint. The standards the ACA put into effect were very basic:

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) makes a number of changes to private health insurance plans. One important protection is the establishment of a package of essential health benefits.

This protection addresses two challenges for consumers. Too often, it is difficult to know exactly which health benefits are included in insurance plans. Also, insurers can sell plans that do not provide adequate benefits for enrollees and exclude coverage for services most people will need at some point in their life. The ACA addresses both problems by requiring most health insurance to contain at least a minimum set of core benefits, called the essential health benefits.

The details of what is included in the essential health benefits package will be determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a future regulation, but the ACA lists a set of core, federally-required benefits and describes the health plans which will not be required to offer these essential health benefits.

What benefits will be included in essential health benefits?

While the ACA sets a standard for the range of benefits health plans must cover, depending on the plan's actuarial value, a consumer's cost-sharing for those benefits could vary.


The essential health benefits are intended to mirror those provided under a typical employer-sponsored health plan. The HHS Secretary must define a package that includes, at a minimum:

Ambulatory patient services, such as doctor's visits and outpatient services
Emergency services
Hospitalization
Maternity and newborn care
Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
Laboratory services
Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including oral and vision care

http://101.communitycatalyst.org/aca_provisions/essential_benefit_package

[pnwmom]

16. Yes. Many people are unhappy with rotten plans because they're cheap.

And they don't realize that they're one car accident away from finding out that they're cheap and almost worthless in the face of real need.