Healthcare Reform & You

Learn what the new reform law has to offer individuals.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a huge law that impacts many different areas of the healthcare industry. Even though there are still a lot of details to be worked out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we wanted to give you a summary of healthcare reform, and how the healthcare law will affect you in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Access to Health Insurance for Individuals

  • About 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured will have access to health insurance.
  • Pre-existing medical conditions can no longer be used to deny healthcare coverage, starting with children’s coverage.
  • Young adults up to 26 years old can now continue on their parents’ healthcare insurance policy.
  • A temporary high-risk health insurance program will be set up to provide insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions who can’t find insurance or afford the cost of it.
  • State-run health insurance exchanges will be set up for people to buy insurance who are uninsured, self-employed or between jobs.
  • Immediate tax credits will be offered to help small businesses buy health insurance for employees.

Consumer Protections

  • Health insurance policies will be prohibited from placing lifetime limits on coverage, while annual limits on coverage will be set by the HHS Secretary.
  • Annual limits will be placed on on out-of-pocket healthcare costs, such as co-pays and deductibles.
  • Employer-sponsored plans must include 100% coverage of annual preventive services.
  • Basic benefits for all Medicare beneficiaries will be guaranteed, including many preventive services, and enrollees in the Part D drug program will see the “donut hole” gradually eliminated.

Consumer Requirements

  • U.S. citizens will be required to have healthcare coverage with subsidies, small business tax credits, expansion of Medicaid and Medicare programs, and state health insurance exchanges available to help make insurance affordable for all.
  • In 2011, over-the-counter products will not be considered qualified expenses for FSA and HSA accounts unless you have a physician prescription.

Updated: 1/5/2012

Orange_arrowHealthcare Reform Summary

Find out what healthcare policies go into effect:

Orange_arrowKey Facts about Healthcare Reform
  • President Obama signed comprehensive healthcare reform into law on March 23, 2010.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services currently working on implementation of 2010 reforms.
  • Reform takes effect Sept. 2010 with a few provisions going into effect earlier. All provisions of the law will be implemented by 2018.