Obamacare also known as the Affordable Care Act offers people many new benefits, rights and protections. Some of the benefits of Obamacare are already in place, with more Obamacare benefits coming in 2014 and beyond. We are going to take a look at some of the advantages of our new health care reform law and how the benefits, rights, and protections affect individuals, their family and small businesses. Obamacare offers individuals and their family many new benefits, rights and protections on all new plans. All health plans that started after 2010 will have to switch individuals over to a plan that offers these benefits starting in 2014. However, plans signed before 2010 may hav ...view middle of the document...
Each new benefit, right and protection are all part of Obamacare's provisions. (Amadeo)All health plans sold in 2014 must meet a new set of standards. In short they must offer all of the benefits, rights, and protections discussed above. If an individual is on a plan that doesn't offer these benefits, rights, and protections they will have to switch to a new plan starting in 2015 unless, they enrolled before March of 2010 (when the ACA was signed into law). Plans that started before the law was signed are called grandfathered plans.As you can see, everyone benefits from Obamacare. Thanks to Obamacare the 15% of Americans who do not currently have coverage will have access to quality affordable health insurance through their State's health insurance marketplace, the expansion of Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by the end of 2014. In 2015 the employer mandate expands access to work based coverage too. The 80% of Americans who currently have health insurance already have access to most of the new benefits, rights and protections and do not realize they have these benefits. (Benefits of Obamacare)Before Obamacare many low-to-middle income Americans and small businesses had trouble affording healthcare for themselves and their families. In the past individuals could be denied health coverage or treatment with little rights to an appeal. Insurance companies could charge more based on an individual's health status and charge higher rates for being a woman making insurance unaffordable to women. If an individual lost work based coverage they would have to rely on expensive COBRA insurance which was only available for a limited time. (Amadeo)Cost Assistance is one of the benefits of Obamacare. It says if you make less than 400% of the federal poverty level which is $93,700 as a family of four or $46,021 as an individual, you may be eligible to receive subsidies for reduced premiums via tax credits offered on your State's Health Insurance and If you make less than 200% of the federal poverty level which is $58,564 as a family of four or $28,763 as an individual in 2013, you may be eligible for help with out-of-pocket costs on health insurance purchased on the marketplace. Cost assistance will also help small businesses with less than 25 full-time equivalent employees with up to 50% of their share of their employee's premiums. (Benefits of Obamacare)Beginning January 1st of 2014, the following Essential Benefits must be included under all insurance plans with no lifetime or annual dollar limits: Emergency services, Hospitalizations, Laboratory services, Maternity care, Mental health and substance ab...
