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I have an individual health insurance policy

If I like my current health plan, can I keep it under health reform?
Nothing in the new law requires you to change your health plan.

What will happen to my insurance premiums?
That’s hard to predict, and no agreement has been reached on an answer. People who are sick might face lower premiums than before because insurers won’t be permitted to charge sick people more; healthier people might pay more, especially in the beginning. The new law is hoping to encourage people to stay well through preventive care and wellness programs, which means that they won’t be sick as often and, when they do get sick, they won’t be as expensive to treat. The goal is to lower the cost of care.

The bigger question is what happens to rising medical costs, which drive up premiums. Even proponents acknowledge that efforts in the legislation to control health costs, such as a new board to oversee Medicare spending, won’t have much of an effect for several years.

How does health reform impact preventive care?
Most health plans must provide preventive services rated A or B by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, recommended immunizations, preventive care for infants, children, and adolescents, and additional preventive care and screenings for women at no cost. This provision is effective on September 23, 2010, and probably won’t be in place until the next insurance plan year following that date. The federal government has just released a website that lists the recommended preventive services: http://www.healthcare.gov/center/regulations/prevention/recommendations.html. You can find a list of the services that are rated A or B by the task force there and also at this website: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspsabrecs.htm.

How does health reform impact young adults?
Parents can continue to cover their children on the parents’ health plan until the children are 26. Young adults can qualify for this coverage even if they are no longer living with a parent, are not dependents on a parent’s tax return, or are no longer students. Both married and unmarried young adults can qualify for this extended coverage but the coverage does not extend to their spouse or children. This option is available only to young adults who have private coverage that provides dependent coverage to children. The law also states that young adults can qualify for dependent coverage through group health plans that were in place prior to March 23, 2010, only if they are not eligible for another employer-sponsored insurance plan, for example, through their own job. Most insurance companies will not make this change until a new plan year begins after September 23, 2010, the effective date of this requirement. Some insurance companies are voluntarily making this change earlier.

Insurance companies must give parents written notice of the opportunity for their young adult children to re-enroll in a parent’s coverage before the first day of the insurance plan year that starts after September 23, 2010. Young adults then have 30 days to decide whether to enroll in the plan. Uninsured young adults with pre-existing conditions may face a waiting period before they can be covered if they were uninsured for at least 63 days before enrolling in their parents’ coverage.

Additionally, young adults who work at small businesses may have access to health coverage through their employer because small businesses can now get tax credits if they provide health insurance to their employees. Temporary high-risk pools will also be created so that young adults with pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for six months can get coverage.

In 2014, young adults under age 30 can buy a “catastrophic” coverage plan as an individual policy. These catastrophic plans will probably have lower premiums but higher cost-sharing and deductibles.

How does health reform impact children with pre-existing conditions?
Beginning with your next plan year, your insurance company cannot exclude your child from coverage due to a pre-existing condition. Generally, a pre-existing condition means a disease or condition that would cause a normal person to go to the doctor or that did cause you to get treatment within a specified period of time, usually 6 months, before your insurance covered you. It typically includes pregnancy and pregnancy complications.