There are health insurance and then there's a real cover. All people in Massachusetts, who probably have a health card think they have real insurance. Most, but some do not.
Obviously, a card is not health insurance.
That coverage is limited to a few thousand dollars per year of insurance is not true.
Even without doubt the benefits of large caps can be problematic. Any person admitted to hospital with a plan that pays only $ 500 per day, realize they have no real protection when they discover that a hospital can cost well over $ 2000 per day.
By January 1, most adults in Massachusetts will be required to have real insurance. Otherwise, they will face penalties that could reach more than $ 900 per year. Worse still, some medical services May not be covered by their plan, leaving them in real financial difficulties.
You hear about a new term: the minimum credible coverage (MCC). This is the minimum amount of insurance you need to avoid tax penalties. You can always buy a better plan, but MCC provides a floor, not unlike the minimum wage.
If you get your health insurance through the connector MassHealth or illness, it meets the new standards. The same goes for plans that comply with federal rules on high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts. If you have health insurance through your company, ask if it complies with MCC. It probably is.
Health insurance are required to certify whether the plans meet MCC. If you buy insurance on your own, do not forget to check with your insurer.
Specifically, your plan should include:A complete set of services (eg, physician visits, hospitalizations, diagnostic, surgical, mental health and coverage of prescription drugs).
Visits to the doctor for preventive care not subject to a deductible.
A maximum annual deductible of $ 2,000 for an individual and $ 4,000 for a family.
For plans in advance with deductibles or co-insurance on services, on an annual sundries not exceeding $ 5,000 for one person and $ 10,000 for a family.
No caps on total benefits for an illness or for a single year.
No policy that covers only a fixed amount per day or stay in the hospital with the patient responsible for all other costs.
For policies that have an excess of drugs, it can not exceed $ 250 for an individual or $ 500 for the family.
A "safe harbor" provision, we also recognize that developing some plans that do not meet all aspects of CMC are quite full and people who should not be penalized.
According to a recent study by the Commonwealth Fund, approximately 25 million Americans with insurance coverage are not sufficient to protect them from financial hardship.
Disease and debt are the main medical reason for half of all personal bankruptcies. Most of these households have insurance.
The need for insurance is real, but it must be real insurance.
Jon Kingsdale is the executive director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority.