Throughout the first part of this year, it would have been difficult to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without seeing or hearing something about health-care reform. Regardless of whether you were a health-care reform supporter, opponent, or agnostic, you should be aware of some important legal rights and responsibilities as the law goes into effect.
Perhaps the biggest, most obvious change will be that after the legislation takes full effect more individuals will have health-care coverage. This will include the tens of millions who currently are uninsured. This expanded coverage will come in many forms and apply to many different groups of people. For example, Medicaid coverage will be expanded to include certain low-income workers who currently don't qualify. Additionally, insurance companies will not be able to deny coverage for preexisting conditions or drop customers when they become sick. More young adults will be covered, and under the new federal law, children can now remain on their parents' health insurance coverage until the age of 26.
Of course, with increased benefits come increased responsibilities and obligations. Your employer, or you (if you are a midsized-business owner), will have increased obligations to offer health-insurance coverage to employees. Under the law, employers with 50 employees or more will be penalized if they don't offer coverage or if a number of employees obtain subsidies to buy insurance.
The new health-care-reform legislation includes a number of other major changes, including increased coverage for certain categories of individuals and increased financial and personal responsibilities for other categories of individuals. For example, by 2014 most Americans will be required to carry a minimum level of health insurance or they will have to pay a penalty. Of course, there are also some exceptions to this requirement for those who can show a religious belief that would contradict obtaining health-care coverage or who can show financial hardship.
Finally, the government too will now have additional responsibilities - for example, the federal government will now need to define the minimum level of benefits insurance companies must offer.
Below are some trustworthy online resources that belong in your browser's bookmarks. By checking these sites periodically as the law goes into effect and the final implementation strategies are hammered out, you can be assured you won't be caught unaware of your new rights and responsibilities.
- the American Medical Association www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/fax.shtml
- the White House www.whitehouse.gov; click on link for "Health Reform"
- the Kaiser Family Foundation www.kff.org
If you are currently worried about your health-care coverage or have any concerns about the steps your insurance provider is taking, do not hesitate to talk to your attorney or your state's attorney general's office.