New Health Care Provisions That Go Into Effect Today

ConsumerAffairs.com, Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's been six months since President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and that means that many of the measure's most significant consumer protections become effective today.

Perhaps the most eagerly-awaited is the provision that insurance companies may no longer exclude children from health insurance policies because of pre-existing conditions. The White House says there are 72,000 uninsured children -- many with serious chronic illnesses -- who are eligible for coverage as of today.

Other new protections taking effect today:

• Children up to age 26 may now be included on their parents' health insurance policies;

• Insurers may no longer impose lifetime limits on benefits;

• Insurers may no longer drop sick customers afer "discovering" previously-undetected mistakes on their applications;

• Preventive measures like colonoscopies, mammograms and immunizations must now be covered without a co-pay;

• Consumers who join a new health plan may keep their own doctors;

• Insurance companies reimbursement decisions may now be appealed to a third party;

• Small businesses may become eligible for tax credits that make it easier for them to provide coverage to their employees;

• Early retirees, ages 55-64, may be eligible to participate in the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program;

• Seniors who fall into the prescription "donut hole" will receive $250 rebate checks.

President Obama marked the occasion yesterday by paying a visit to a Falls Church, Va., couple, holding a "backyard summit" with Paul and Frances Brayshaw and their neighbors.

Obama said that prior to the law's passage, American families faced "horrendous" vulnerability if they became sick or lost their insurance coverage. He said the new measure gives families "some basic peace of mind."

Despite widespread political posturing and calls for the law's repeal, polls have generally found many of its provisions popular, particularly among the 14 million Americans who must now buy their insurance on the open market because they are not covered on a group health plan.