How Freelancers Can Benefit From Health Care Reform
By Erinn Springer
It is the six-month anniversary of health care reform and major provisions from reform are changing plans today. These new provisions strengthen consumer protections and provide additional health benefits to consumers.
Freelancer Health Benefits
As a group, freelancers stand to benefit from these provisions because individual policies must adhere to all of the following changes immediately.
Health care reform changes to individual health insurance plans include:
- Free preventive care. Consumers will be able to use preventive services at no additional cost to them.
- Guaranteed coverage for children with medical conditions. Children will be guaranteed coverage regardless of their health status. Consumers can get affordable health insurance policies to cover the whole family.
- Extended coverage for young adults. Children will be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until they turn 26. It is typically more affordable to add a child to a policy rather then purchase an individual policy for that child.
- Lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage are eliminated from plans. Consumers will no longer have certain limits on their health insurance policies that leave them with hefty medical bills.
- New processes to appeal health insurers’ decisions or denials. Reform establishes new rights for consumers to appeal decisions made by health insurers and can request an external review process to challenge decisions.
Compare & Save
Freelancers can compare their current policies to new plans online instantly. It is easy to compare health insurance quotes and view different benefits.
Consumers are always encouraged to speak with a health insurance agent about their plans to see if a new plan would benefit their health care needs and budget.
Author Information
Erinn Springer is a freelancer who writes about health insurance topics for a health insurance quotes provider.
See Also — U.S. News: 8 Immediate Cost Benefits of Health Care Reform
