Hey guys, I remember around the time the healthcare bill was being passed there was some tense debate around here as to what would happen to everyday Americans. Since a lot of you here are a lot more knowledgeable about the topic than I am about the topic I thought I would ask a few questions. So my deal is that my father doesn't have insurance because he has a multitude of health problems (heart attack, diabetes, kidney problems, etc..) and every company denies him. My question is, will any of the changes take effect on his situation? Or is there a wait period before those changes settle in? Also, I am on my mom's insurance plan, so do I get to stay on that until after college?? Id appreciate any clarification on that. I think were gonna talk to a few more agents and see whats up. Thanks in advance guys.
I'm not sure about your situation, but for your dad, a few options: 1. (this already existed) If he's in Texas, he'd be eligible for the Texas High Risk Pool: http://www.txhealthpool.org/ . Unfortunately, the premiums are fairly expensive due to the fact that the pool just contains high risk people that can't get other insurance. 2. As a the result of the health care legislation, there is also now a federal high risk pool. Your dad would only be eligible for this one if he's been without insurance for at least 6 months. I don't know much in terms of details of the costs of this plan or the benefits/drawbacks vs the Texas pool.. 3. In a few years (2012? 2014? not really sure), pre-existing conditions will go away, meaning your dad could not be denied coverage by the various individual insurance agencies. It's unclear right now how much that insurance would cost, but they would be required to provide insurance of some sort. Hope that helps!
Oh, I was hoping this was going to be about how doctors are getting the short end and how it's going to cost a lot more than they said it would because it was an unorganized, rushed bill. But on the flip side, it's situations like these that show that SOMETHING needed to be done. Best of luck to your Dad, op.
