Timeline of Other Important Dates

October 2011 

• The new Community First Choice Option allows states to offer home and community-based services to disabled people through Medicaid, rather than institutional care in nursing homes.

January 2011

To ensure insurance companies are spending premium dollars primarily on health care, the new law requires:

• That at least 85% of all premium dollars collected by insurance companies for large employer plans to be spent on health care services and health care quality improvement.

• That 80% of all premium dollars collected by insurance companies from individual and small employers to be spent on benefits and quality improvement.

If insurance companies do not meet these goals due to administrative costs or profits being too high, then the companies must provide rebates to consumers.

Changes in Medicare:

• The law provides certain preventive services, such as annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans, for seniors on Medicare. Click here for more information.

• Seniors who reach the coverage gap (also known as the “donut hole”) in prescription drug plans will receive a 50 percent discount when buying Medicare Part D-covered brand-name prescription drugs. Additional savings on brand-name and generic drugs will be offered until the gap closes permanently in 2020.
   

October 2010

Grants were awarded to several states. The purpose of this grant is to set up and expand on programs which will provide better consumer assistance.

The programs will allow the states to develop ways to help consumers by:

• Helping consumers file complaints and appeals

• Enroll in health coverage

• Educate about consumer rights and responsibilities in group health plans or individual health insurance policies

• Assist the state in collecting data on the types of problems consumers have

Resource: www.healthcare.gov