After all the dust settles and democracy returns to sanity, many of us will still be left with a big question: What really is all this health care fuss about anyway, and what does it really mean for all of us? Words can be a trigger for all sorts of crazy emotions, but whether you call it “Obamacare” or “health care reform” doesn’t really matter, because the only real cure is accurate information.
Regardless of what nickname you use, Obamacare and health care reform are the same thing: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). And more importantly, they are the law. The House of Representatives and Senate passed the PPACA, and the President of the United States signed it into law on March 23, 2010. The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the constitutionality of the PPACA on June 28, 2012. By any accounting, the law is the biggest overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system since the passage of Medicaid and Medicare in 1965.
With all the politics and ongoing public debate, we shouldn’t be too surprised that people are a little confused. The law itself is more than 950 pages long, covers everything from “Immediate Improvements in Health Care Coverage for All Americans” to “Supporting the Existing Health Care Workforce” and reads mostly like this, “Section 2735 of the Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-21), as so redesignated by section 1001 (4), is amended—by striking subsection (a); …” and so on. That’s a lot of pretty obscure information to capture on a bumper sticker, or in a five-second sound bite on the evening news. It reminds me of the Farm Bill…but that’s a blog for another day. Let’s stay focused on health care reform.
I am not an expert on health care, and I confess, I did not read the 950-plus-page document myself. But I have a good friend who did (and is an expert), and what follows is his explanation. Our goal is to help make things a little clearer, so here is an overview of what we think are the most important features of the law, and the ones that will probably have the most direct effect on you and your family.
1. Let’s start with access to healthcare coverage. Under the Law:
- Adult children can stay on their parents’ health care plans up to age 26.
- People cannot be denied coverage and cannot be charged more for their coverage, because they have a preexisting condition.
- Women cannot be charged more than men for their healthcare coverage.
- Coverage cannot be rescinded or taken away due to illness or a serious health condition.
2. The quality of health care coverage is also standardized so that consumers will be assured that their coverage includes something called “essential health benefits.” The PPACA ensures that all health care plans sold in the individual or small group markets, either inside or outside the new “exchanges,” provide coverage within at least the following 10 categories:
- Ambulatory patient services;
- Emergency services;
- Hospitalization;
- Maternity and newborn care;
- Mental health and substance abuse disorder services, including behavioral health treatment;
- Prescription drugs;
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices;
- Laboratory services;
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management;
- Pediatric services, including oral and vision care.
3. In addition to essential health benefits, the PPACA also requires that most health plans provide first-dollar coverage for prevention and wellness services.
- For example, most plans have to cover the following types of services at no cost: screenings for high blood pressure, cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, colorectal cancer (for adults 50+), as well as immunizations for hepatitis A and B, shingles, HPV (Human Papillomavirus, a cause of cervical cancer in women), and the flu.
- Prevention and wellness service for women include screenings for anemia, breast and cervical cancer, domestic violence, gestational diabetes, hepatitis B, HIV, HPV, and osteoporosis.
- And for children, screenings for autism, high blood pressure, depression, developmental issues, hearing, obesity, blood disorders, HIV, vision, and all recommended vaccinations.
4. Along with essential health benefits and first dollar coverage of prevention and wellness services, the PPACA also includes the “minimum coverage provision,” better known as the “individual mandate.” In order to provide expanded coverage for all Americans, it is important that as many of us as possible, both the healthy and not-so-healthy, obtain coverage. The Individual Mandate moves us toward that goal by requiring that almost all U.S. citizens and legal residents obtain and maintain coverage for themselves and their families, or pay a penalty.
- The penalty is fairly light when the PPACA goes into effect on January 1, 2014. In the first year, the penalty for not having coverage will be $95 per adult, $47.50 per child, and up to $285 per family or 1 percent of household income, whichever is greater.
- These penalties build quickly, so that by 2016 they are $695 per adult, $347 per child, and up to $2,085 per family or 2.5 percent of household income, whichever is greater.
- The PPACA takes a few important steps that could take the edge off of requiring people to have insurance. First, someone who already has insurance from sources like Medicare, his or her employer (or spouse’s), or another program do not need to change his or her plan.
- Starting in 2015, employers with 50 or more employees will be required to provide coverage to their employees or pay a penalty.
- For low-income adults, the Law gives states the option of expanding Medicaid coverage to adults earning up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and offers these states 100 percent matching funds to cover expansion for 2014 through 2016. For later years, the federal match then decreases down to 90 percent for 2020 and beyond. Roughly 30 governors support expansion, and an additional 6 are weighing the options.
5. For people who need to purchase insurance on their own, the PPACA establishes virtual health care marketplaces, or exchanges, where people and small businesses can shop for health care coverage online. The exchanges enable people to shop for care by comparing plans based on cost, benefits, provider (physician) networks, and eventually, on the quality of care each plan provides.
- While shopping on the exchange, individuals and families can also determine if they are eligible for insurance subsidies in the form of federal tax credits.
- Families with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level who purchase insurance on the Exchange are eligible for a subsidy. You can go to healthreform.kff.org/subsidycalculator.aspx to determine if you are eligible for a subsidy, and for how much.
The changes included in the PPACA are expansive, and they touch almost every aspect of the nation’s healthcare system. Uncertainty and fear are a natural and expected part of any change of this magnitude. The law is not yet fully implemented, and although we are starting to get some indications, we still don’t know what will happen to the cost of premiums or what effect shopping for coverage in the online marketplaces will have on the types and cost of coverage offered there. We don’t know what the nation’s medium-size and large employers will do to help manage cost in the PPACA. Will they drop coverage, pay the penalty, and put employees into the exchanges? Will they reduce hours, shifting employees from full- to part-time status in order to drop them from coverage without penalty?
As a large employer myself (we have almost 900 employees), this law encourages us to help our employees even more to lead healthier lives and prevent health problems in the first place. (Gee, that sounds like something my grandfather thought of more than 60 years ago. Back then, the government and medical establishment scoffed that people’s behaviors could prevent disease. Well, it took them long enough to figure it out, but now we the people have to help the government change its behavior.) But as an employer I also know that when just one person gets truly sick, everyone’s healthcare costs goes up. It’s the same thing for the country. There is only one true way for all of us to have cheap and affordable health care, and that’s to help each and every one of us stay as healthy as possible.
But here’s another important thing to remember: we can all do everything we can to stay healthy, but things still happen. People who do everything right can still get cancer. Cautious people can still fall off ladders or become injured through no fault of their own. That’s why it’s so important to look out for each other, and make sure we’re there when others need it most.
So now that it’s really up to you, what will you and your family do? Will you get health insurance if you currently don’t have it? Will you be willing to pay more for improved coverage, because paying more now helps ensure that people who have health conditions won’t lose their coverage, or that you won’t lose yours if you get sick in the future? It’s a lot to think about. It’s a lot of change.
As we all start this journey together, we should remember that our healthcare system was truly broken. More than 50 million people were without coverage. Hospitals and insurance companies were both counting the profits from encouraging repeat visits and dropping insurance the second someone had a real problem and needed it most. Millions of people could not even obtain insurance because of preexisting conditions, and millions more lived in fear of losing their coverage or paying more for it because they or another family member became ill. And the truth is, we who are covered were paying for all that care anyway—through higher insurance, taxes, and higher costs within hospitals and medical systems. There was a lot to fix. There still IS a lot to fix. Maybe the PPACA isn’t perfect. Maybe there is a lot we need to do to improve it. But one thing is for sure: It’s a start.
Now let’s get on with running our democracy properly.
Maria:
Clear, actual facts. Now there’s a thought. Thank you for this post. There is so much disinformation, both unintentional and intentional out there, your piece and others like it are a part of what is needed to calm folks down and to help us get on with making our country a better place to live. Again, Thank You!
Excellent article. What I know is that I stand to save over $600 a month under the ACA compared to what I spend on my employer’s medical insurance plan. I cannot wait for January 1, 2014!
Thanks for the sanity. I’m so tired of hearing people freaking out and screaming that Obamacare equals The End Times.
Biased review. You don’t list any of the negative aspects. For instance, the employers who are being forced to cut hours to avoid the penalties, doctors will have to follow new procedures/not be able to order tests etc. without “running it by a Board” first; Doctors will limit Medicare patients since those payments will be cut; Faith-based companies will have to offer procedures (abortion, birth control etc) that may be against their values; this list goes on and on….Plus you should not post a review/advice on something you have not read or received second-hand.
I’m one of the fortunate ones, I get my health care through the VA, my wife however…….. She is diabetic, has blood flow problems in her legs, has several other health problems related to her bariatric surgery.Need I say more?
She couldn’t get insurance of any kind, currently ‘lives’ on Social Security. She has Medicare, but the costs are going up on that every year. We are hoping this will open the door to better coverage that is less expensive.
I for one am not a fan, only because at this time my employer does offer to pay 70% of ins for me but even with that I cannot afford the other 30% to come out of my paycheck. I also have a 2nd job and am sole supporter of my household. I am trying to pay off less than 4K in credit cards after my divorce in June, hence the 2nd job. Both vehilces are 2001 and 2000, don’t drive a new car. Have cell ph, no landline, no cable just the cheapest internet. Am coupon and store sales savvy so save where I can, earn points to get $ off gas…and Still cannot afford health insurance either way!
I do appreciate this summary of the law. However, there is a huge negative and it amounts to simple math. If insurance companies are forced to cover high risk people at the same price as everyone else, someone has to pay the extra that it costs to take care of them. The company I work for had to increase deductibles in order to keep premiums affordable. We have a choice of four plans, and the only one I can afford has a family deductible of $8,250. So my son’s recent broken wrist has a personal price tag, not covered by insurance, comparable to a good used car.
The President stated many times in speeches that premiums would go down for families. Unfortunately, this is not the case for anyone I know. My health premiums are going up. Existing insurance premiums for the families of my daughter, my brother, and children of my friends are going up drastically. Most are doubling to about $800 a month or more. They cannot afford these premiums! What are they supposed to do – not pay their bills or not eat? Lose their homes or health insurance?
As Dave Ramsey recently said, you can’t escape math, no matter what your politics. This program adds up to a gigantic insurance/tax increase for young families who can’t afford it.
I think that you’ve presented a very postive spin on the Act. If you were truly desiring to provide a service, however, you probably should have covered some of the negative aspects of the Act. For example, as more people will likely access healthcare now, it is logical to presume that along with more GPs, we will probably need more specialists, more nurses, more lab techs, etc. The Act provides only for an increase in GPs that will be practicing. So you may be able to get in to see your GP within a reasonable time frame, the same will likely not be possible for the specialists, like cardiologists, dermatologists, etc. Of course, many supporters of the law say that’s just not going to happen, but quite simply, the numbers just cannot support any other contention. The whole thing is like telling the country that every single citizen of this nation will receive one free bag of apples each week, without bothering to increase the number of apple trees, apple orchards, people to pick and clean the apples, people to ship the apples, etc. At some point, there aren’t going to be enough bags of apples.
The Supreme court did NOT actually indorse this. Justice Roberts said it was a TAX and that the president could NOT levey a tax on people that only congress could!
Thanks for some well needed clarity. The responses are not surprising. The country is divided thanks to our media and politician’s campaigns of deception and disinformation. How quickly people have forgotten how broken our healthcare system was. Hopefully they’ll realize that the insurance industry which was mostly responsible for it is again today gouging us even more.
Had the country been educated with truthful facts about how things worked(not) and how things could be, I am sure the people would have selected the obvious and most efficient solution which is Medicare For All Single Payer.
The Right has been very good at twisting language, they call the Affordable Care act ObamaCare when it’s really the Mediocre Compromise Conservative Care act . This is step 1. I still have hope that we will wake up and demand Medicare for All. But I am not holding my breath.
I am glad that some people will now be helped. I just wish someday those of us that have health insurance but still have to pay out of pocket to cover our choices like alternative health practitioners. alternative medicines, alternative therapies and prevention, which by the way are all cheaper alternatives, will get relief too and these will all be recognized.
You would think the Free Market crowd would at least recognize that it’s’ time to break up the overly expensive, largely ineffective, drugs, surgery, chemo and nuclear treatment MONOPOLIES. And that all businesses would be helped if they didn’t have to be in the business of providing healthcare insurance to compete for employees.
Thanks for the informative article (despite not crying wolf as some would have had you do). The problem Maria alluded to is that this isn’t about health care, it’s about sick care and it’s never going to be affordable. Health care is going to happen when there are governments (worldwide) willing to kick the **** out of companies that are making us sick. Unfortunately there isn’t (according to me) enough political capital in the whole universe to make that happen.