Healthcare Reform - What Does It Mean to You?

There are many presumptions about how these new healthcare reforms are impacting the extent and quality of care for our country. While no approach to medical care is going to provide the one-size-fits-all solution that we would love to have, many of these changes will alleviate the burden for the consumer. In addition, they are asking more of the insurance companies and easing businesses into meeting certain standards to keep their employees receiving good quality benefits. Ultimately this lightens the load on the taxpayers, the states and the federal government.

Many of the reform measures will not take place until 2014. There are a few key areas that have brought up debate, but what is happening is really quite black and white.

* At no point will you be forced into a plan you don't want or have to choose a doctor that you do not want to work with.

* There will not be any subsidies for illegal immigrants to purchase health insurance.

* Our current administration will not be compiling a federal health record on citizens. There will, however, be incentives offered to doctors to record and report certain vital statistics so as to facilitate a greater understanding of national health trends.

* What is happening to our health care system is not socialization. In fact, the new law relies heavily on private insurance companies and employers to provide coverage. This will increase competition among insurance providers and likely give customers lower premiums.

* By 2014 all plans will have to meet minimum requirements and large employers will have to provide coverage or pay significant fines.

* There are certainly increases in premiums that have already been occuring as a result of concommitent increases in health care costs. Insurers will now be required to cover preventive care without cost-sharing which may play a minor role in increases for next year. However, this reform has energized federal and state officials to force down large increases that insurers are working hard to push through.

* There seems to be a scare that Medicare benefits will be sharply cut when in fact this is not the case at all. The new law is designed to slow down the rate of increases in payments to health care providers. The only possible change to benefits will be to beneficiaries of subsidies for things such as gym memberships or dental care.

* It is feared that the law will force states to expand their Medicaid programs. However it will be the federal government who will be picking up the bulk of vulnerable Americans who are not covered. Having some means of insurance coverage for these individuals is important, as the state and taxpayers will have to bear the burden of costly emergency room visits without it.

* A few of the most beneficial aspects of the new plan is the lack of cost-sharing for preventative treatments which encourages individuals to seek help for minor health issues before they are significant and costly. Young adults who cannot find employment can stay on their parents plan so they remain protected. And lifetime benefit limits are gone.

These measures have in fact helped in the bigger picture. Don't take our word for it, look at it for yourself to see what is really happening.