Health care reform – The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) – is now the law. Most of the changes included in the new law won’t take affect until 2014, but some important changes have already happened.
MVP Health Care is committed to implementing the provisions of the health care reform law. A lot of work remains to be done to enact these changes at the federal and state levels.
As we have more information about how your specific benefits may change, we will send you a letter that spells out the changes and tells you what, if anything, you need to do.
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Quick Reference Documents
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In New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, most of the major consumer reforms included in the bill (such as community rating, guaranteed issue and prohibitions on rescinding coverage due to illness) are already in place under existing state laws. That means less will change for you, since you already have these important consumer protections, than for people living in other parts of the country.
For plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010:
- Lifetime dollar limits on essential health benefits are eliminated (Please note that the Federal government has not yet determined what benefits are considered essential)
- Children can stay on their parent’s policies through age 26
- Any limitations based on pre-existing conditions for children to age 19 are eliminated
Looking ahead to 2014:
- There will be more ways for people to buy health insurance, including from your employer.
- Individuals who can’t get insurance through their employer also will be able to buy health insurance through state-sponsored exchanges similar to the Massachusetts Health Care Connector.
- Subsidies will be available from the federal government to help people who meet certain income requirements to buy health insurance through the exchanges.
- There will be penalties charged through income tax filings for people who don’t buy health insurance.
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