Some Healthcare Reform Highlights
A cornerstone of the new health care reform bill was to require insurance companies to cover those people with "pre-existing conditions". This requirement will not fully kick in until 2014. Until then, a new high-risk pool will offer coverage to uninsured people who have pre-existing medical conditions.
One of the most controversial and expensive provisions of the new health care bill is the plan to extend government subsidies through tax credits aimed at helping middle- and lower-income people pay for their health insurance – if it is not provided by their employers. The tax credits will be offered on a sliding scale for those earning 133-400 percent of the poverty level ($88,200 for a family of four, or $22,050 for an individual).
Another objective was to close the so-called "doughnut hole" in the current Medicare prescription drug plan. Currently, prescription expenses between $2,830 and $4,550 are out-of-pocket expenses for enrollees. That gap won’t be closed immediately, but will be phased out over the next 10 years.
Under the new law, eligibility for Medicaid will be expanded to all individuals under the age of 65 provided they have incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, beginning in 2014.
One of the most immediate changes goes into effect in 2010. Young adults will be allowed to continue on their parents’ health insurance policies until age 26. The bill also includes an "individual mandate" that requires all individuals (not just children) to obtain insurance coverage by 2014.
Stay tuned to this newsletter for updates on healthcare reform in America and how they may affect your practice marketing efforts going forward.
One of the most controversial and expensive provisions of the new health care bill is the plan to extend government subsidies through tax credits aimed at helping middle- and lower-income people pay for their health insurance – if it is not provided by their employers. The tax credits will be offered on a sliding scale for those earning 133-400 percent of the poverty level ($88,200 for a family of four, or $22,050 for an individual).
Another objective was to close the so-called "doughnut hole" in the current Medicare prescription drug plan. Currently, prescription expenses between $2,830 and $4,550 are out-of-pocket expenses for enrollees. That gap won’t be closed immediately, but will be phased out over the next 10 years.
Under the new law, eligibility for Medicaid will be expanded to all individuals under the age of 65 provided they have incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, beginning in 2014.
One of the most immediate changes goes into effect in 2010. Young adults will be allowed to continue on their parents’ health insurance policies until age 26. The bill also includes an "individual mandate" that requires all individuals (not just children) to obtain insurance coverage by 2014.
Stay tuned to this newsletter for updates on healthcare reform in America and how they may affect your practice marketing efforts going forward.