Several of the health care reforms that were signed into law six months ago took effect yesterday, September 23rd. Many more Americans will be eligible for insurance and the changes may affect you.
Here’s a summary of the new laws:
- Preventative procedures, including colonoscopies, mammograms, and immunizations must be covered entirely by insurance companies without co-pay.
- People joining a new insurance plan may keep the doctors they already have.
- Insurance companies may not deny coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions.
- Insurers are now forbidden to drop high-cost customers after finding technical mistakes on applications.
- Insurers are prohibited from imposing lifetime limits on benefits.
- Insurers are required to cover children and young adults under the age of 26 on their parent’s policies.
The New York Times reports that many of the changes are seen as positive by Americans. The White House estimates that the health care bill, titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, will cover 32 million uninsured citizens and reduce the nation deficit by $143 billion over 10 years.
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