so now that health reform has passed a lot of people are out there wondering how it is going to affect them. in the days and weeks to come i'm going to try to mention those issues on this blog as i learn more about them.
one important thing to understand is that the health care legislation is still evolving, it is changing almost on a day to day basis during this reconciliation process and i think its safe to say that many of the governmetn officials working on it aren't sure exactly how it will all play out.
My understanding is the the meat of the changes taking place to the industry won't take place until 2014. That is when insurance companies will not be able to deny people based on pre existing conditions. This is a big deal!. It is also the year that the mandate that all people purchase health insurance will be in effect, i learned today there are certain exceptions to this rule ( people who just can't afford it, prisoners (seriously) and such). This is also the year when state based insurance exchanges will be put into effect. These will provide exchanges, (much like the function of brokers today.....me) that will help people navigate this maze and find the right health plan for their needs. I'm not real sure what the difference between these planned exchanges will be and what we currently have with health insurance brokers, this is what i do already. In fact there are exchanges (brokers) all over the place. So again, not sure exactly what the need is for this but hey, i'm not in charge....just seems like a waste of our tax dollars if you ask me. Brokers and agents have been performing this function for years. Between now and 2014 we will see gradual changes in the health insurance industry. Some of it has to do with employer sponsored plans, some of it has to do with sudsidies, and many more.
i'm going to do my best to stay informed on this subject. Understand this is very complicated,
...more to come,