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Understanding Today's Health Care Reform May Only Be A Disappointment

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Understanding Today's Health Care Reform May Only Be A DisappointmentTodayshealthsite.com

Todays Health Article

Sept 5th, 2011                    

Today’s Health Care Bill that carried with it, much controversy and a Big Price Tag, I do not know about you, but has it had any impact on you or all those lives, which was  once so discussed? Many I believe, have either forgotten about the topic entirely or have become completely disappointed. Are we now paying for something that has not been properly explained to the American public, so they can take advantage of the program, or is it like many other reforms, leaving us with health care problems to pay for! These questions may have been answered, but I found little to research or on the Net to confirm. Since that date on March 2010, little has bee spoken about the results of this Health Care Bill. Mostly litigation as to how it violates are human rights and that it’s going end up in legal debate. Is that not a Disappointment for many, who seek health care?

Has all the fluff fallen to Natural Disasters, Unemployment challenges, Economy on the brinks, downgrading of credit,  and foreclosures. With all those on the lurk, health care is not one to sweep under the rug. Many people are now facing health issues even more greatly than ever before.Why have we not been better educated as to the Health Care’s application and how it will effect all of us.

The 2010 Federal Reform Legislation

  • 2010 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was put in place  by President Barack Obama.  It provides for this Act to be  introduced over a period of four years. It is a comprehensive system, a mandated health insurance, with reforms designed to eliminate “some of the worst practices of the insurance companies”.  It regulates the pre-condition screening and premium loadings, policy rescinds on technicalities when illness seems imminent,  lifetime and annual coverage caps.
  • It also sets a minimum ratio of direct health care spending to premium income.  It also creates price competition bolstered by the creation of three standard insurance coverage levels. This will provide  like-for-like comparisons for consumers, and a web based health insurance exchange, where consumers can compare prices and purchase plans.
  •  The system preserves private insurance and private health care providers and provides more subsidies to enable the poor to buy insurance.

The Date Lines for  Health Care Reform

 reprint from… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_reform_in_the_United_States

“Within one year of enactment (2010–2011)

  • Insurance companies barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, ending the practice of rescission. Lifetime coverage limits eliminated and annual limits restricted.
  • Young adults able to stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26. Many health plans previously dropped dependents from coverage when they turned 19 or finished college.
  • Uninsured adults with pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program for high risk pools that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.
  • Insurance companies cannot deny group or new (non-grandfathered) individual coverage to children under age 19 due to a pre-existing condition.[68]
  • A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.
  • Medicare drug plan beneficiaries who fall into the Medicare Part D coverage gap (the so-called “doughnut hole”) will get a $250 rebate. The new law eventually closes that gap completely. (The old law required the sick person to pay 100% of their own annual medicine costs after $2,700 was spent in the coverage year and did not start again until after $6,154 was spent).
  • A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.
  • A 10% tax on indoor tanning services that use ultraviolet lamps goes into effect on July 1.

 Effective during 2011

  • Medicare provides 10% bonus payments to primary care physicians and general surgeons.
  • Medicare will cover the full cost of annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plan services for beneficiaries. New health plans will be required to cover preventive services with little or no direct cost to patients.
  • A new program under the Medicaid plan for the poor goes into effect in October that allows states to offer home and community based care for the disabled that might otherwise require institutional care.
  • Payments to insurers offering Medicare Advantage services are frozen at 2010 levels. These payments are to be gradually reduced to bring them more in line with traditional Medicare.
  • Employers are required to disclose the value of health benefits on employees’ W-2 tax forms.
  • An annual fee is imposed on pharmaceutical companies according to market share. The fee does not apply to companies with sales of $5 million or less.

 Effective as of 2012

  • Physician payment reforms are implemented in Medicare to enhance primary care services and encourage doctors to form “accountable care organizations” to improve quality and efficiency of care.
  • An incentive program is established in Medicare for acute care hospitals to improve quality outcomes.
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the government programs, begins tracking hospital readmission rates and puts in place financial incentives to reduce preventable readmissions.
  • New tax reporting changes were to come in effect to prevent tax evasion by corporations and individuals. However, in April 2011 President Barack Obama signed a bill repealing this provision, because it was burdensome to small businesses.[69][70] Under the existing law, businesses have to notify the IRS on 1099 form of certain payments to individuals for certain services or property over a reporting threshold of $600.[71][72] The requirement was going to be changed so that payments to corporations and individuals must also be reported.[73][74] Originally it was expected to raise $17 billion over 10 years.[75] The amendments made by Section 9006 of the Act were originally intended to apply to payments made by businesses after December 31, 2011, but will no longer apply because of the repeal of the section.[70][72]

 Effective as of 2013

  • A national pilot program is established for Medicare on payment bundling to encourage doctors, hospitals and other care providers to better coordinate patient care.
  • The threshold for claiming medical expenses on itemized tax returns is raised to 10% from 7.5% of income. The threshold remains at 7.5% for the elderly through 2016.
  • The Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA) is raised to 2.35% from 1.45% for individuals earning more than $200,000 and married couples with incomes over $250,000. The tax is imposed on some investment income for that income group.
  • A 2.9% excise tax is imposed on the sale of medical devices. Anything generally purchased at the retail level by the public is excluded from the tax.

 Effective as of 2014

  • State health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals open.
  • Individuals with income up to 133% of the federal poverty level qualify for Medicaid coverage.
  • Healthcare tax credits become available to help people with incomes up to 400 percent of poverty purchase coverage on the exchange.
  • Premium cap for maximum “out-of-pocket” pay will be established for people with incomes up to 400 percent of FPL.[12][76] Section 1401 of PPACA explains that the subsidy will be provided as an advancable, refundable tax credit[77] and gives a formula for its calculation.[78] Refundable tax credit is a way to provide government benefit to people even with no tax liability[79] (example: Child Tax Credit). According to White House and Congressional Budget Office figures, the maximum share of income that enrollees would have to pay for the “silver” healthcare plan would vary depending on their income relative to the federal poverty level, as follows:[13][80] for families with income 133–150% of FPL will be 4-4.7% of income, for families with income of 150–200% of FPL will be 4.7-6.5% of income, for families with income 200–250% of FPL will be 6.5-8.4% of income, for families with income 250-300% of FPL will be 8.4-10.2% of income, for families with income from 300 to 400% of FPL will be 10.2% of income. In 2016,the federal poverty level is projected to equal about $11,800 for a single person and about $24,000 for family of four.[80] See Subsidy Calculator for specific dollar amount.[81]
  • Most people required to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a tax if they don’t.
  • Health plans no longer can exclude people from coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
  • Employers with 50 or more workers who do not offer coverage face a fine of $2,000 for each employee if any worker receives subsidized insurance on the exchange. The first 30 employees aren’t counted for the fine.
  • Health insurance companies begin paying a fee based on their market share.

 Effective 2015

  • Medicare creates a physician payment program aimed at rewarding quality of care rather than volume of services.

 Effective 2018

  • An excise tax on high cost employer-provided plans is imposed. The first $27,500 of a family plan and $10,200 for individual coverage is exempt from the tax. Higher levels are set for plans covering retirees and people in high risk professions.”

Health and The Uninsured Today!

Today still remains questional, if the reform will even begin to take place. States are taking legal action pertaining to the legality of the bill. Still remaining is the fact that about 44 million people in this  country have no health insurance and another 38 million have inadequate health insurance. This actually means that nearly one-third of Americans face each day without the security of having health insurance when they need it. By these set conditions, often people will postpone the neccessary care and forego preventive care. As simple as the treatreatment may be, such as immunizations and routine check ups, having no regular Doctor, or access to presriptions, they simply are bypassed. Now what might have been prevented by simple care, may lead to one becomming hospitalized ! This delaying tactic is ultimately going to create higher costs. But more than one third of uninsured adults have reported they have problems paying their bills. This would seriously explain why the uninsured does not seek out care they need untill the last momment!

Todays Health Comment

Today with complex reform and hundreds of pages of explanation is this reform ever going to be something that we can understand. This may only be a disappointment, and the cost of our health may just be out of reach for millions of people, as it is already. With millions sacrificing health for food and house payments, until other areas of our economic times change, little will help those in need. With this reform being phased in over a period of years and the mandatory requirements that are stipulated, not likely will it remain in the same perimeters that it now defines. With legal actions already popping up through out the country, attorneys may have a field day regarding  our legal rights. All the while, people are still in need of health coverage, and are not getting any at all. There lies the disappointment!

                                   Todays Health Chat Questions

1. How has the new Health Care Reform impacted you?    http://todayshealthsite.com/todays-health-chat/

2. Are you Disappointed with Health Car Reform?  http://todayshealthsite.com/todays-health-chat/

 

                                  Todays Health Site Further Reading

  1.   “Timeline: when healthcare reform will affect you”. CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/23/health.care.timeline/index.html. Retrieved March 24, 2010
  2. Sick Around the World: Can the U.S. learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a health care system? from Frontline, PBS
  3.  “5 key things to remember about health care reform”. CNN. March 25, 2010. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/25/health.care.law.basics/index.html.

 

 

 

September 6th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , | Category: Todays Health | 1442 comments

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