Thursday, September 23, 2010

10 Major New Health Reform Benefits Take Effect Today

Rep. John B. Larson

Rep. John B. Larson

Posted: September 23, 2010 01:44 PM



Major new health reform benefits take effect today to help keep health insurance companies accountable, lower health care costs, guarantee more health care choices, and enhance the quality of health care for all Americans.
Starting today, insurers will be required to:
  • Keep you covered when you get sick: Simple mistakes or typos will no longer be grounds for insurance companies to cancel your insurance.
  • Cover kids with pre-existing conditions: Your kids can no longer be denied health coverage just because they have a pre-existing condition like hay fever, asthma, or previous sports injuries. This protection extends to all plans, except "grandfathered" plans in the individual market.
  • Allow young adults to stay on their parents' plan up to age 26: Even if their first few jobs don't provide health benefits, your kids can still remain covered by your insurance.
  • Remove lifetime limits: You will no longer need to worry about your health insurer limiting the amount of coverage available through their plan if you face an expensive medical condition. This will help Americans who develop chronic conditions from taking drastic measures to avoid medical bankruptcy.
  • Phase out annual limits: Many plans include annual dollar limits on how much medical coverage can be obtained per year. On all non-"grandfathered" plans in the individual market, these limits will be phased out over the next three years.
For any insurance plan that goes into effect after September 23, 2010, your insurance company must:
Many other new benefits of the law have already taken effect, including rebate checks for seniors in the donut hole and tax credits for small businesses. Keep watching, as more rights, protections and benefits for Americans are on the way now through 2014.
To learn more about how health care reform is helping you, visit healthcare.gov.
(The 10 major new health reform benefits take effect today was also cross-posted on the House Democrats blog.)
Follow Rep. John B. Larson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/housedemocrats
Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Wendell Potter
Wendell Potter: New Health-Care Provisions Begin to Pay Off for All Ages

For those who think the law should be repealed, I ask them to just stop and think how their loved ones might already be better off than they were six months ago -- and how much better off we all will be when the law has been fully implemented in 2014.
Nigel Hamilton
Nigel Hamilton: History As Tragedy -- The Republican 'Pledge to America'

Can we fight the evil tide of know-nothingness that is sweeping the country and potentially handing congressional power over to a group of dimwits, determined to ruin the American empire?
Rep. Jim McDermott
Rep. Jim McDermott: Health Care Reform Benefits: Truth vs. Pure Politics

Six months after Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, the sky is still there, grandma hasn't been euthanized, and there are no death panels. Today, just six months after becoming law, even more benefits of reform take effect.

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