The health-reform law is changing the health-insurance marketplace in big ways. The first changes—those that happen right away—take effect Sept. 23, 2010, six months after the health-reform bill was signed.,, Consumer Reports offers a free health-insurance guide [.pdf] to how the new law affects you.
If you get health insurance through work, your coverage will likely remain pretty much the same, but with some new consumer protections. Lifetime caps on coverage are banned, for example, and insurers will have to adopt new procedures allowing workers to appeal coverage denials.
According to the new Patient’s Bill of Rights insurers can no longer do the following: Cancel your coverage if you get sick; set lifetime limits on coverage; put annual dollar limits on coverage (this is phased in over three years); deny coverage to children under age 19 who have pre-existing conditions; and impose barriers to or refuse to pay for emergency care even if it’s at a hospital outside the insurer’s network.
Young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26 instead of being taken off when they graduate from high school or college. Also, if you have been uninsured for six months and have a pre-existing medical condition, you can apply for coverage through new high-risk pools being set up in each state. The program will last until 2014, when other options kick in and insurers cannot discriminate on the basis of health status.
Small firms don’t have the bargaining clout big companies do, and they can be vulnerable to stiff premium hikes if a single employee needs expensive care. Thus, they often pay more for health insurance. Starting this year, businesses with up to 25 workers and average wages per worker up to $50,000 per year can get tax credits to offset the cost of insuring their employees…
Starting in 2011 states will be responsible for enhanced review of health-insurance company rate increase requests. Also, insurers will have to spend 80 to 85 cents out of every premium dollar on medical care. If they don’t, they have to rebate the extra amount to consumers.
I suggest you download the brochure – via the link up top — and find out what you’re supposed to hate and fear. This week.
#38–Ah Yea==I read your linked LA Times article with initial interest. Its very short for anyone who wants a quick read as to what is wrong with Obama Care.
I agree it sucks.
Now: should we go back to the demonstrably failed and not working standing out alone among 19 other Western Nations – or –
GO FORWARD
and join the rest of the civilized world giving some form of UNIVERSAL HEALTCARE/Single Payer system as it may be designed?
Now I know the PUKES, as universally complained of even here in this thread, will carefully pick thru all the options trying to force the very worst system on Americans===but a good leader will choose the other route: pick and choose what has proven to work in the rest of the world and become a beacon once again the the worlds battered and abused about what can be accomplished when a society pulls together in its own long term self interest.
Saying socialized medicine doesn’t work when all around the world it is working is like saying we can’t go to the moon when we already have.
Silly douchebags.
Doctors are corrupted by money, that’s the problem. In Europe and elsewhere doctors do what they do for helping people first, and then for the money. It’s the opposite in the USA. Your parents want you to be a doctor “for the money” and people study to be doctors for the money, not all, but most. In the USA doctors live in mansions and penthouses. In Europe, in your middle-class neighborhood, your neighbor could be a doctor. We do have better technology than Europe when it comes to health-care, but I don’t think the costs are because of that.
Also the blame on high health-care costs lies with the fact that only about 30% (last I read in some magazine) of hospital debts are paid by the patient (because a lot of people are uninsured). Usually the hospital has to send the rest of the claims to collection agencies. A lot of Americans just can’t afford health-care costs as they stand. Have you ever been to an emergency room? The cost is usually $1500 just to stay in a hospital room overnight, not including anything else. Add to that the ambulance that had to pick you up (usually another $1500). Speaking of ambulances, because I had a grand mal seizure years ago and someone called 911 for me, I had to pay for an ambulance out of my own pocket even though I had insurance. See, the insurance company has an “approved” list of ambulance services in your area. If you don’t request that ambulance when you call 911, well then the insurance company will not cover the costs. You don’t believe me? If you have Humana, check with your policy if you have them, it will be on one page of their 1000 page fine-print policy holder’s handbook that you get when you agree to a plan. Doctors, insurance companies, politicians… they’re all jagoffs.
73,
I will call you on this..
Show me a list of those in charge of the tea party, with Obama on the top.
Problems are noticed FIRST.
Solutions come AFTER.
The problem is CORPS running the gov.
The solution is GOV. running the CORPS and taking all the money away from them…AS the corps do to small companies they OWN.
AND still..
no one gets it.
The Health care bill has been brought to the capital, back and forth, for almost 100 years.
Out of the 3 bills that were On the agenda..
They compromised ALL 3, to create 1.
from a rather short bill, 300-500 pages(?) to over 3000. those extra pages were ADDED by the other 300 idiots we elected.
Premiums will go up over the next few years? What else is new. Premiums have been going up for as long as I can remember.
I still wish we got the public option, but some of these reforms are good. It’s not perfect, but it’s better then we had. Real protections.
Honestly all they had to do was extend and open up the eligibility of Medicaid and that would have been enough of a public option to get us by for a while.
Teabagging Hypocrisy: have the “taxed enough already” mentality untethered to deficit spending, then:
Teabagging Stupidity: thinking that the deficit created by BushtheRetard would take less than 4-6-8-11-12 years to correct.
Teabagging Itself: blaming Obama for doing about the best that could be done in the situation he was handed==unless one expects perfection out of the gate and unless one understands macro economics enough to know what really should have been done?
Teabagging Sophistication: I don’t know the first think about what I’m talking about, but I’m fully possessed by it!
#68
Do you only vote in the State in which you are born? What happens if you move to outer Mongolia? Arguing that it must be at the Federal level because people move is specious at best. IMO, that some States might manage health care better than others is a simply another good argument to do it at the State level. If your State sets up a great system, you will be disinclined to move and people will want to move there. If they setup a disaster of a system, people will want to move to somewhere else.
#79
sounds like some states will have to build border fences to keep out people sic people soon or maybe have an age limit to become a resident with your system.
#80
Why would they need a fence? All that is needed is some form of identification that establishes that you are a resident of the State in question. One might even call it a State issued passport or something.
# 49 msbpodcast
“turned out to die naked in the street
like Rock Hudson, dying in the street.
being shoved out in the street naked”
What’s with the “in the street” meme? And are you sure Hudson didn’t die “naked” in the street?
By the way, I’m pretty sure Rock Hudson did not die in the street. I believe he died in his home – “The Castle” – in Beverly Hills. Some street!
#81–Alfie, the teabagging nutburger==where do you get this nonsense that Obama is the smartest president ever? More made up crap meant to keep you idiots marching to the tune? It only makes you look exceedingly stupid. Besides, I think a fair analysis is that Clinton was smarter than Obama, more clever, more flexible. Only his taste in women is suspect.
But lets see, is there a kernel of anything in your drool? – – – – – – – hmmm==”roll back” ha, ha. More entrenched retardedness. So that means you are for higher taxes from that date as well? Rolling back the population too? I would call you a Stoopid Human, but you may just be a defective software program.
Turning Test: Alfred the Failure. Sad when a human being can’t pass it.
Ha, ha.
Why do Obama and Eideard hate America?
That’s nice that Dallas is wishing someone dead. That’s about as funny as someone wishing that Dallas acquires a disease at his many bathhouse conquests. See how that works Dallas? That “joke” isn’t funny either.
Great American–I was shocked to read Dallas was wishing someone dead. While I did expect it to be Alfie, Pedro, or Pedro’s Donkey, I didn’t expect his phanatos vision to be as funny/insightful/clever as it is.
You better brush up on your humor!
Dallas==I’m thinking you’d keep Alfie Alive at tax payers expense==for a variety of reasons, not all an insult to fish bait.
#81 – Hey Alfie the Teabagger, if your ideas are so smart why didn’t you implement them during Bush the Chimps inept reign? You had eight years to try to make things better and all you guys came up with was war and more war and tax cuts for Bushie’s wealthy cronies. All Rushpublican politicians and their supporters should be ashamed of themselves. Some day you’re going to need insurance for some catastrophic illness and when you can’t afford it you’ll have no one but yourselves to blame. Think about that on your deathbed when the insurance companies you’re trying to protect denies you & your loved ones coverage.
I think what a lot of folks don’t realize is that if you were to administer a multiple choice exam covering the exact contents of this bill, the majority of Americans would fail miserably, (including myself). I’m just curious as to how many members of our congress would pass.
BCC,
NONE..
NONE of them could give you more then 10-20%..IF’ you requested the test, with NO FORE KNOWLEDGE.
I would believe 90% of them couldnt tell you the price of BREAD or GAS, within 1 mile of their Current locations.
The questions remains.
WHY is ANYONE against every citizen of the US having health care provided to them?
Every citizen is allowed to drive paved roads.
Every citizen is allowed potable water.
Every citizen is allowed national defence.
Every citizen is allowed inspected food.
Why is it acceptable for the government to provide these services but NOT health care to all?
Cursor_
please note:
“Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.”
–Bernard Berenson (1865 – 1959)
(no less compounded by your last decades worth of ignorance to boot)
-s
Come to Canada as an example and you will see what wrath socialized medicine delivers
Better get in line to the USA – however at this rate soon that option will be gone for Canadian politicians and their families who seek preferential care
Wonder where George Soros gets his medical care and how long he waits in line
#24 Not sure what Alfred is expecting in the afterlife. 17 virgins? 17 guns? an iPhone 10 ? faster internet?
#36 Guyver … Good point. The GOP is pretty slick at bringing government to a standstill when it comes to non military spending.
#71 Deowll …. Your premise is wrong so no need to call Dean a KKK Tea party “lier” (sp). Also, nobody in my party is a KKK member that I know of so that label is not valid anyway.
#86 GreatAmerican said … nice that Dallas is wishing someone dead…blah blah..Dallas acquires a disease at his many bathhouse conquests….blah blah
Not wishing anyone dead. The Obamacare document provides that Alfred may or may not be sentenced to death if he takes good care of himself and has a taxable salary. Re diseases.. nope, I have no concerns in picking up any STD’s. The closest perhaps was when I was in New Orleans with my straight coworkers who dragged me into some titty bar and girl juice was all over the place. Yuk. All OK though.
I’d be interested to know how many of the people arguing so passionately about the new health care provisions, both pro and con, have actually read the bill. An uninformed opinion on any subject is empty and without validity.
@1 – I have to correct my response.
Just found out, this morning, my premium is going down – not up.
Har!
@ #100, Alfie,
At lease I know I’m doomed under Obamacare, that’s better than you…
And how can you be doomed? Can you point to one part of the bill that actually hurts you? Not some perceived thing Hannity or Limpdick have been ranting about. Some part of the bill that actually will hurt you.
Smarter minds await while you find something.
“Eidheard is a tool of the leftists, and does not live in the United States. So, he is irrelevant.”
My God! Have we outsourced treason?
#103, Alfie,
You have posted some nonsensical replies in the past. This is among the worst. You are afraid oppressed minorities may get equality is the reason you are against the Affordable Health Care Act.
You are not only a bigot but a racist too.
#105–Somebody==thanks for the laugh. Very clever.
#91
WHY is ANYONE against every citizen of the US having health care provided to them?
Every citizen does have health care of some variety. If you in an accident, with or without health insurance, the hospital is obligated to treat you. What everyone does not have is health care cost coverage of some sort.
Every citizen is allowed to drive paved roads.
Every citizen is allowed potable water.
It is not true is that everyone is allowed to drive paved roads for free. You must have a driver’s license and you must be driving a car that meets base safety standards. In general, that also means you can afford to own a vehicle including fuel costs. Thus, people that drive paved roads pay extra for that privilege; it is not a right. Similarly, while potable water that you find in the mountains is free, if you want it delivered to your place of residence it is most definitely not free.
#109 Every citizen does have health care ..If you in an accident..the hospital is obligated to treat you…
Oh goodie, another Republitard excuse for not needing healthcare reform – why, it’s already there!
The medical industry’s dream come true – maximize profits with emergency care. Republitards forget to see much real-estate taxes go to hospitals to treat the insurance free sheeple.
#109–Thomas==really! Don’t confuse/conflate/mislead/wrongly think that EMERGENCY CARE is healthcare. Over 50% of what becomes EMERGENCY CARE IN EXTREMIS is the lack of cheaper healthcare not delivered at an earlier stage.
That said, Dallas trumps me once again with the better phrased position. Whats up Dallas? Getting a good 8 hours sleep a night, or just better with practice?