HCR: Patient Changes in 2010

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, contains a number of provisions affecting providers and patients. The provisions implementation timelines are spread out over several years to allow the healthcare industry to adapt.

At this time we wanted to make you aware of a few key provisions affecting patients and thereby affecting your practice which take effect in 2010.

For patients with private health insurance:

• Your insurer can no longer drop you from your plan if you get sick.
• Children ages 18 and younger can no longer be denied private insurance coverage if they have a pre-existing medical condition.
• For adults with pre-existing medical conditions who cannot obtain private insurance coverage, a temporary national "high-risk pool" will be established to provide coverage, with financial subsidies to make premiums more affordable, until all insurers are required to cover people with pre-existing conditions in 2014.
• Young adults up to age 26 can remain as a dependent on their parents' private health insurance plan.
• Your health insurance benefits can no longer run out as a result of a long or expensive illness because insurers can no longer impose lifetime financial limits on benefits.
• Preventive services for women, such as mammograms, and immunizations for children must be covered by insurers, with no co-payments or deductibles required.

Med USA will continue to review healthcare reform changes and informed of important provisions. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Liz Gardner at 801.352.9500 ext 1308 or email lgardner@medusabil.com