Ring in the New Year! New benefits of the healthcare law are just taking affect now for many individuals and families, including:
- Coverage of dependents up to age 26.
- Lifting of lifetime caps (more on that in my post from last week).
- Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage if you suddenly get sick.
- Children under 19 can't be denied care due to a pre-existing condition.
- And many Americans will receive free check ups thanks to the law's emphasis on keeping people healthy first.
For many more seniors, healthcare reform is doing some great new things as of January 1st. As a geriatrician and as a daughter, I know that seniors are very concerned about their healthcare.
Here are a few things that are new in terms of strengthening Medicare benefits:
- Free Medical Check Ups.
Seniors will be able to get a free check up every year.
- Free Preventive Screenings.
No more cost-sharing for recommended Medicare-covered preventive services, like mammograms, bone mass measurements, and colorectal cancer screenings. The law also waives the Medicare deductible for colorectal cancer screening tests.
- Discounts on brand-name and generic drugs.
Seniors whose drug costs put them in the Medicare Part D doughnut hole will receive a 50% discount on the price of their brand-name drugs and a 7 % government subsidy toward the cost of generic drugs.
And for all of you working on a New Year's resolution to be healthier, you'll have some help coming.
As of March 23rd, chain restaurants like McDonald's and Taco Bell will be required to share the nutritional content of their meals. Ditto for all of those vending machines where physicians and healthcare workers often buy our lunches! More on that later, though.
I know all of you are busy working, taking care of your families and in general, doing what you do best. I also know that along the way, real questions about healthcare reform may come up for you--and that's what House Calls is for.
Send your question to House Calls at http://action.seiu.org/askadoctor.
For a full run-down on new healthcare reform provisions in 2011, see this timeline from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
To help you understand the new healthcare benefits, we've also got some helpful flyers that can be downloaded and printed out.
» For seniors with health insurance
(In Spanish here).
» For working families with health insurance
(In Spanish here).
