Readers Ask: What Options Do Parents Have To Get Coverage For Their Kids?
Consumer columnist answers questions about getting insurance for children under the health law.
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Consumer columnist answers questions about getting insurance for children under the health law.
Experts expect people who are between jobs to gradually transfer to exchanges, a trend projected to save large employers billions in medical claims for ex-employees.
When consultants ran simulations of the exchanges that open for enrollment Oct. 1, they found that price was a major consideration. But so were hospital networks -- more so than retaining doctors.
Currently many plans sold on the individual market do not provide maternity coverage. But that will change under the health law.
The online exchanges that open Oct. 1 are not aimed at Medicare beneficiaries, but the 2010 health law does affect seniors in other ways.
Those plans must also provide the same "essential benefits" as the plans set up for the exchanges and have similar out-of-pocket standards.
Number of policies offered will vary depending on the state.
Open enrollments will be held annually for beneficiaries.
Various legal challenges to the health law's contraception coverage mandate are continuing to wind their way through the system.
Employers are raising deductibles, giving workers health savings accounts, mimicking the health law's online insurance marketplaces and nudging patients to shop around for treatments.
The uninsured rate for 2012 dropped slightly from 15.7 percent to 15.4 percent, largely because of an increase in people enrolled in public insurance programs.
The Affordable Care Act could have easily put eHealthInsurance.com out of business; instead, eHealthInsurance will be another place to buy plans in the 34 states that have federally run insurance exchanges.
The health law's new online insurance marketplaces will create new opportunities for people who lose their jobs and their employer-based health coverage, but consumer advocates worry they may not realize this and lock themselves into pricier coverage than they need.
These marketplaces open Oct. 1 and will allow individuals and small businesses to compare insurance coverage.
Individuals purchasing a policy outside the exchange won't qualify for subsidies, however.
Older people will pay more than the young, and smokers could face a surcharge.
The broad framework of Gov. Corbett's proposal is similar to plans advanced by Arkansas and Iowa, neither of which has been approved by the federal government.
Nobody has a bigger financial stake in the success of Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges than hospitals. And few may work harder to sign up consumers than hospitals themselves.
Some enrollees will have to pay more for coverage in new exchanges, while others may lose out in states that do not expand Medicaid.
The administration ramps up its message that seniors with Medicare coverage do not need plans from the exchanges.
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