Healthcare 101: What the bill means to you

The rollout starts with children. Six months from the day the bill was signed (let's see ... that'll be Sept. 23, by our calculation), insurers will no longer be able to exclude children with preexisting conditions from being covered by their family policy. For current policies, that means insurers will have to rescind preexisting-condition exclusions.

Insurers will not have to take the same steps for adults until Jan. 1, 2014.

Why will it take so long? Because it will be years before the bill's mandate that individuals have health insurance takes effect. The mandate is expected to bring in tens of millions of new customers for insurance firms compensation for accepting customers with preexisting conditions, which can be expensive.

The individual mandate does not go into effect until 2014 partly because it will take a long time to set up the state-run exchanges at which individuals and small-business employees will be able to comparison-shop for policies.

The new reform law does create a temporary backup plan for those uninsured who have health problems.

This Plan B is a short-term, national high-risk insurance pool. US citizens and legal immigrants who have preexisting conditions and have been uninsured for at least six months will be eligible to enroll in this pool and receive subsidies to help them afford the premiums.

Under the law, the premiums for this pool will be the same as would be charged for a standard population of people with varying risks. Maximum out-of-pocket cost sharing for enrollees will be $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families, per year.

This risk pool is supposed to be up and running within 90 days and then fade into the sunset on Jan. 1, 2014.

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But Sawz, Are you saying it will cost $500 to $1000 per month to join this new universal low cost government health care plan?

Are you saying that there is nothing to keep health care costs down?

Are you saying there is nothing to keep Insurance companies from raising their rates as their costs go up?

Are you saying they are rubbing their hands together with glee in anticipation of the 30+ million new customers that will be forced to buy insurance and they can keep on making the same 8% profit?

Say it ain't so Sawz. That would mean the holocaust continues while the Dems are whopping themselves on the back and declaring victory.

Look at how many kids could die before Sep 23 and how many adults could die by 2014 due to lack of health insurance.


Well just don't worry about it Sport 'cause once the American people find out what is in the bill, you know how it was kept from them, they will love it and the shortage of doctors, nurses and medical facilities is going to magically go away.