HR3590 Health Care Bill & Government Health Insurance

The countdown continues… with two days to go, here are more changes that should happen based on the Affordable Care Act Timeline.

Extending coverage for young adults. Young adults who have gone uninsured no longer need to worry, as the Affordable Care Act will allow them to continue to enjoy coverage under their parents’ plan until they turn 26. While technically this applies to all health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010, there are some insurers who have gone ahead and implemented this provision early.

Free preventive care. An ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure, which is why health care reform places emphasis on preventive care by mandating that certain preventive services are covered by health plans. This makes such procedures as colonoscopies and mammograms available without charging deductible, co-pay or co-insurance. This is applicable to all health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010.

Insurance companies prohibited from rescinding coverage. Health care reform goes beyond ensuring affordable and quality health care for Americans; it also seeks to protect consumer rights. By September 23, 2010, insurance companies will be prevented from rescinding coverage. This means that it is illegal for insurance companies to try and go through a patient’s application in search of an error or a loophole that can be used as a reason to deny coverage to the patient. Some cases of breast cancer patients who lost coverage were brought to the attention of, and highlighted by, the media, so insurance companies agreed to an immediate end to the practice.