On Oct. 1, uninsured people will be able to shop for health insurance in the state-based health insurance exchanges that were created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called "Obamacare," for the first time. The policies will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
In the next few days, I hope to post at least a couple of blogs about this new law, including a repost of a blog I submitted a few months ago. That blog was a summary of a report I wrote for a small business client on the impact of the law on small businesses.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued several reports on the health care law and how it might affect the American people, American businesses and the American economy. On Sept. 28, I posted a blog entitled "47 Million Americans Lacked Health Insurance In 2012: Will The New State Exchanges Help Them." It included a photo of President Obama in a doctor's outfit.
Today's blog focuses on Kaiser's analysis of "How Buying Insurance Will Change Under Obamacare." It includes a state-by-state chart on what percentage of people are currently denied health insurance coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Massachusetts is one of the states where no one is denied coverage thanks to "Romneycare." Remarkably, I found a cartoon of ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney wearing a doctor's outfit. Thus, I have given Obama and Romney equal coverage in regards to graphics.
Story No. 2 On Affordable Care Act: The New Law Could Help People With Pre-existing Conditions
Highlights of the Kaiser Family Foundation's report in its own words:
* All insurers will be required to cover mostly the same benefits, including some services that are often excluded or limited today for people buying their own insurance (e.g., maternity care, mental health, and prescription drugs).
* Probably the single biggest step to make buying insurance simpler than today is the prohibition of what’s known as “medical underwriting.” Now, in all but a handful of states, insurers request detailed information about your medical history when you seek to buy insurance on your own. If you have a pre-existing health condition, an insurer will generally either refuse to sell you coverage or charge you a higher premium.
* As the table below shows, 18% of applicants are denied coverage in the current individual insurance market (not accounting for those with pre-existing conditions who do not try to apply). This varies significantly across states, from 0% in a handful of states that already require insurers to accept all who apply to 30% or more in other states.
U.S. Average |
18%
|
Alabama |
26%
|
Alaska |
19%
|
Arizona |
11%
|
Arkansas |
22%
|
California |
22%
|
Colorado |
19%
|
Connecticut |
9%
|
Delaware |
17%
|
District of Columbia |
21%
|
Florida |
17%
|
Georgia |
20%
|
Hawaii |
4%
|
Idaho |
20%
|
Illinois |
16%
|
Indiana |
19%
|
Iowa |
17%
|
Kansas |
20%
|
Kentucky |
33%
|
Louisiana |
19%
|
Maine |
0%
|
Maryland |
30%
|
Massachusetts |
0%
|
Michigan |
22%
|
Minnesota |
16%
|
Mississippi |
26%
|
Missouri |
26%
|
Montana |
25%
|
Nebraska |
26%
|
Nevada |
22%
|
New Hampshire |
16%
|
New Jersey |
0%
|
New Mexico |
26%
|
New York |
0%
|
North Carolina |
33%
|
North Dakota |
27%
|
Ohio |
33%
|
Oklahoma |
23%
|
Oregon |
32%
|
Pennsylvania |
14%
|
Rhode Island |
11%
|
South Carolina |
27%
|
South Dakota |
14%
|
Tennessee |
28%
|
Texas |
19%
|
Utah |
14%
|
Vermont |
0%
|
Virginia |
16%
|
Washington |
7%
|
West Virginia |
7%
|
Wisconsin |
19%
|
Wyoming |
20%
|
|