Empowering patient voices through voter registration
While roughly 83% of adults in the United States will visit a health care provider in the next year, an estimated
News
3-8-12 Affordable Care Act Update
March 8, 2012
Federal Update
Last month the administration released a final regulation on the Affordable Care Act provision requiring insurers to provide consumers with a brief and easy-to-understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). ACS CAN believes the regulation is an important step forward in enabling consumers to better understand their coverage and make more informed health care decisions. As of September 23, 2012, this very valuable tool will be available for the first time during this fall's open enrollment period when millions of Americans are choosing coverage. A number of business and insurer groups, however, are mounting an effort that calls for a delay in the effective date of the SBC. ACS CAN does not believe such a delay is warranted. The Affordable Care Act actually required the regulation to be final by March 23, 2012, so employers and insurers have already had a six month delay. Any further delays or other changes that would dilute this regulation are an unacceptable step backward in empowering consumers to make informed choices.
This week, ACS CAN and 16 other consumer advocacy groups sent a letter to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Treasury commending them for issuing a strong regulation and opposing any further changes. ACS CAN also intends to let Congress know of our support for the regulation and the importance of the SBC in creating a stronger, consumer-driven health insurance market. ACS CAN views the provision as fundamental to the fourth "A" - administrative simplicity -- in the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN's "four A's" of meaningful health coverage. SBC Letter.pdf
State Update
Late Saturday evening, Washington state's House of Representatives concurred with the state Senate's version of a bill providing for continued implementation of the state's health insurance exchange. The bill, which passed the Senate last week by a 27-22 vote, now heads to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
The legislation is particularly significant because it makes Washington the first state to decide on a "benchmark plan" that defines the essential health benefits that all plans will be required to offer in the state's individual and small group market both inside and outside their health insurance exchange beginning in 2014. The benchmark plan specified in the Washington state legislation is the largest (by enrollment) small-group health plan in the state.
All states must choose a benchmark plan that would set essential benefits from among 10 plans already in place. If states do not select a benchmark plan by September 30, the decision will automatically default to the largest small-group plan in the state. ACS CAN, along with other consumer and patient advocacy groups, are working to determine how this approach assures adequate coverage, "adequate" being one of the Society and ACS CAN's "four A's for expanding access to care. During 2014 and early 2015, HHS will be evaluating the effectiveness of the benchmark plans and their impact on consumers and patients before moving forward with guidance for essential health benefits in 2016 and beyond.
Coverage Limits Lifted for 105 Million
An estimated 105 million Americans are no longer facing lifetime coverage limits on their health care, according to a new HHS report. The report was conducted to analyze the effects of a provision in the Affordable Care Act that bans health insurance companies from imposing a lifetime limit on benefits. The report found that 59 percent of employees with employer insurance and 89 percent of people with individual market plans had lifetime coverage limits in 2009.
ACS CAN worked hard to include bans on annual and lifetime limits in the Affordable Care Act and pressed to have the ban apply to both new and existing plans. The provision will help ensure patients can focus on getting well and not have to worry about suddenly losing their coverage or their life savings. Read a letter from ACS CAN volunteer Amy Wilhite about how the provision is helping her family. Treatment for her young daughter Taylor's cancer and its side effects pushed their family toward Taylor's lifetime maximum. You can also read about Taylor in the American Cancer Society's brochure "The Affordable Care Act: How It Helps People With Cancer and Their Families." The brochure was updated after several provisions of the law went into effect a year ago. Copies are available through Ariba from the Society's Nationwide Distribution Center. Use code 5600.00 for the English version and 5600.10 for the Spanish version.