Recent Health News
New Health Care Law Implemented
October 14, 2010
There's good news for families who have children with psoriasis: as of September 23, 2010, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children 18 or younger simply because they have a pre-existing condition like psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Psoriasis(Free Handout)
Implemented as part of the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law by President Obama in March of 2010, the law includes other sweeping provisions that will significantly change the health insurance landscape for many American families. In addition to preventing denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, providers of new insurance plans and existing group health plans (that started a new plan year on or after Sept 23) can no longer:
- Put a lifetime dollar limit on essential benefits (such as hospital stays) for people with chronic or costly conditions.
- Cancel insurance coverage without evidence of consumer fraud.
- Deny a claim with no chance for appeal.
Note: The law does not apply to "grandfathered" insurance plans purchased prior to March 23, 2010.
The Affordable Care Act also gives consumers some important new rights, such as:
- Receiving preventative services, such as certain screenings and vaccinations, at no cost.
- Keeping children under the age of 26 on their parent's insurance plan.
- Choosing any primary-care doctor or pediatrician from the provider network, and seeing an OB-GYN without needing a referral.
- Going to any hospital emergency room, including out-of-network, without being penalized. (You still may be responsible for the difference in cost between out-of-network emergency room services and what your insurance covers.)
There are many more features of the Affordable Care Act that will be implemented in the coming years. Right now, if you've had no health insurance coverage for the past six months (and that includes COBRA or Medicare), you may be able to apply for a pre-existing condition insurance plan (PCIP), a new option. For more complete information on the new health care law and what it means to consumers, visit the government's website at HealthCare.gov.
Please go to Psoriasis News for information about psoriasis research and studies about psoriasis and about psoriatic arthritis.
Physician-developed and -monitored.
Original Date of Publication: 15 Oct 2010
Reviewed by: the Editorial Staff at Healthcommunities.com
Last Reviewed: 14 Oct 2010
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