Health Care Reform--Some Health Changes Happen Quickly
While it will take years to fully implement the health care bill, some provisions will take effect quickly.
Here is a quick rundown of the provisions in the health care bill that will affect businesses and individuals as soon as 90 days after the bill is signed into law:
*The bill will provide tax credits for small employers with no more than 25 workers and average annual wages of less than $50,000, if they purchase health insurance for employees.
*It will create a temporary reinsurance program for employers providing health insurance coverage to retirees over age 55 who are not eligible for Medicare.
*Individuals with preexisting medical conditions who now have trouble buying insurance will be able to use a temporary national high-risk insurance pool to purchase health coverage for individuals.
*Parents of children up to age 26 will be able to buy insurance for their kids under their own group plans.
*Medicare beneficiaries who reach the coverage gap, or doughnut hole, in prescription coverage in 2010 will receive a $250.00 rebate.
*Insurers will be barred from imposing a lifetime limit on the dollar value of coverage for individuals or group plans. Plans may only impose annual limits on coverage as determined by the secretary of Health & Human Services. Insurers will also be barred from rescinding coverage except in cases of fraud, and they cannot use preexisting conditions to exclude kids from coverage.
*The legislation will also require qualified health plans to provide coverage without cost-sharing for certain preventive services, including recommended immunizations, preventive care for infants, children and adolescents, and additional preventive care and screenings for women.
