The results of the 2012 Presidential election allows parents of children who have special needs to breathe a sigh of relief. President Obama has been elected to his second term. The Affordable Care Act will not be repealed. Current protections will remain in place, and more are on the way.
Parents of children who have special needs can breathe a little bit easier today. President Obama has been elected to a second term. This means that the Republican party will not be able to repeal the Affordable Care Act and remove the protections that help you to find health insurance coverage for your child who has special needs or a disability. Here’s a quick review of how the 2012 Presidential election affects kids who have special needs.
Your child’s Medicare coverage will not be replaced with a voucher. Vice Presidential hopeful Paul Ryan wanted to take away the Medicare coverage that your child (or adult child) uses and replace it with a voucher. The voucher would be used to pay for a private health plan. Experts noted that the voucher would not be enough to allow your child to continue the coverage he or she is getting through Medicare.
Your child can continue to be covered by your health insurance plan. Parents can add their child who is between the ages of 18 and 26 to their health insurance coverage. This is more affordable than trying to find an individual health plan for your child. This protection is part of the Affordable Care Act.
Your child cannot be denied health insurance coverage due to a pre-existing condition. This part of the Affordable Care Act went into affect in September of 2010 for most health plans. In 2014, all health insurance companies will be banned from denying coverage for a person who has a pre-existing condition. They also will not be allowed to charge more to a person who has a pre-existing condition. Your child won’t lose that protection.
Your child will have more access to doctors. As of January 1, 2013, the Affordable Care Act will require states to pay primary care physicians no less than 100% of Medicare payment rates in 2013 and 2014 for primary care services. This will allow more doctors to afford to see children who are covered by Medicaid.
Image by League of Women Voters of California on Flickr