ACA Insurance: Protecting You from Health Care System Wrongs

What is the ACA?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is a comprehensive health care reform law that was signed into law in 2010. The ACA has made significant changes to the way health insurance is regulated and purchased in the United States.

ACA Insurance Protections

One of the most important goals of the ACA was to provide consumers with more protection from health insurance companies. The ACA includes a number of provisions that are designed to ensure that health insurance companies are fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers. These provisions include:

Guaranteed issue: Health insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone, regardless of their health history.
Community rating: Health insurance companies cannot charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions.
Essential health benefits: All health insurance plans must cover a set of essential health benefits, including hospitalization, doctor visits, and prescription drugs.
Annual limits: Health insurance companies cannot impose annual or lifetime limits on coverage.

ACA Insurance Benefits

In addition to providing consumers with more protection, the ACA also makes health insurance more affordable for many people. The ACA includes a number of provisions that are designed to help people pay for health insurance, such as:

Premium subsidies: The ACA provides premium subsidies to help people with low and moderate incomes afford health insurance.
Cost-sharing reductions: The ACA provides cost-sharing reductions to help people with low incomes pay for out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
Medicaid expansion: The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility to all adults with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. Medicaid is a government health insurance program for people with low incomes.

ACA Insurance and You

The ACA has made significant changes to the health insurance landscape in the United States. These changes are designed to make health insurance more affordable, accessible, and fair for consumers. If you are uninsured or underinsured, the ACA may be able to help you get the coverage you need.

How to Get Help with ACA Insurance

If you need help getting health insurance, there are a number of resources available to you. You can call the Health Insurance Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596, or you can visit the Marketplace website at www.healthcare.gov. You can also contact a licensed health insurance agent or broker for help.