In March of 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. This is the new health care law that so many people have been talking about. The Affordable Care Act sets into motion a series of health insurance reforms that are designed to hold insurance companies accountable for their actions and choices. The law is designed to make the cost of health care lower, to guarantee that Americans will have more health care choices, and to enhance the quality of health care for all Americans. In short, the purpose of the Affordable Care Act is to help everyday families to be able to afford the health care they need, without having to live with the fear that their insurance company will suddenly drop them, or refuse to pay for necessary medical care.
The Affordable Care Act is too large to be implemented all at the same time. This means that we will be seeing smaller pieces of it starting at different times between now, and 2014. Right now, the newest change is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). The purpose of this part of the plan is to make sure that health coverage is available to people who have been denied health insurance by one or more private insurance companies specifically because of a pre-existing condition. If you would like to read everything there is to know about PCIP, you can read a portion of the website that has been set up by the government to explain how all of this will work. That page also has an interactive map that will allow you to access more information about health insurance options that are available in your state.
Who qualifies for the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan? You have to be a citizen or national of the United States. You have to have been uninsured for the last six months, or more. You also have to be able to show that you have had difficulty getting insurance specifically due to a pre-existing condition. Different states are going to have their own way of figuring out if you have a pre-existing condition, or if you have been denied insurance coverage. In some states, if you were offered health insurance, but it was at a price that was too high for you to be able to pay, this is considered to be “denied coverage”. In general, a pre-existing condition is disability, condition, physical illness, or mental illness that you, or a family member, had before you tried to get health insurance coverage from a specific company.
Who does not qualify for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan? People who already have health insurance. In other words, if you have employer based health insurance right now, are covered by Medicaid, or using COBRA coverage, you are not eligible for the PCIP program.