Around 10 topics are addressed by the Affordable Care Act, and each topic (each title) contains sections of provisions that reform the American healthcare system. The titles are given below:
- Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans
- The Role of Public Programs
- Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Health Care
- Prevention of Chronic Disease and Improving Public Health
- Health Care Workforce
- Transparency and Program Integrity
- Improving Access to Innovative Medical Therapies
- Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act)
- Revenue Provisions
- Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act55
According to the act, policies sold in the individual market should cover benefits such as doctor visits, emergency and hospital services, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, prescription drugs; rehabilitation and devices that the therapy requires for prevention, chronic disease management, laboratory work, and pediatric services. Moreover, insurers cannot reject people who are sick and can’t charge them with higher prices.
What Holders of Cancelled Policies Can Do
Florida Blue is of the opinion that the affected policyholders can upgrade to a plan that offers more comprehensive benefits. Otherwise they can look for another suitable health insurance plan from the healthcare exchange. Healthcare exchange is a new way to find quality health coverage. It can help
- Those who don’t have a policy coverage
- Those who already have a policy, but would like to look at better options
Anyway, the cancellation phenomenon is hitting individual policyholders, and those who had minimal coverage are angry with being forced to buy new plans, as it offers more coverage than what they actually require.
Different Plans Available in Healthcare Exchanges
Healthcare exchange allows customers to select the most appropriate policy of their choice. There are 5 categories of health insurance plans in the marketplace, based on how you can plan and expect to share the costs of care.
- Bronze: Plan pays 60%. Customer pays 40%.
- Silver: Plan pays 70%. Customer pays 30%.
- Gold: Plan pays 80%. Customer pays 20%.
- Platinum: Plan pays 90%. Customer pays 10%.
- Catastrophic: Is the coverage option for those under 30 or if they have very low income.
When shopping for a health insurance plan, it's important to understand each plan clearly. Customers should be aware of aspects such as deductibles, premiums, insurer network, HMOs, PPOs, HSAs, and other technical health insurance terms to better understand how its works.
Top Things to Know about Choosing a Plan
Here are 6 things to consider before choosing a health insurance plan:
- The category of plan you choose affects how much your premium will be and what portion of the bill you pay for things such as prescription medications and hospital visits. It will also have an impact on your overall out-of-pocket costs.
- All categories of plans offer the same set of 10 essential health benefits. The categories do not reflect the quality of care the plans provide.
- Keep this general rule of thumb in mind, when selecting a health insurance plan.
- The higher the premium: The lower the out-of-pocket costs
- Consider the health care needs of your household when selecting the marketplace insurance plan. Do you expect a lot of doctor visits or need regular prescriptions?
- If you don’t: select Bronze or Silver plan
Bronze and Silver plans are suitable in cases, such as when you have met with a
serious accident or have an unexpected health problem, as these plans pay more
of the costs.
- If you can’t afford health insurance, you may be able to get lower costs on your monthly premium. You may qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs for co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles.