Affordable Care Act - 6 things to know
There is so much political noise about health care reform, starting with whether you call it the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, that it's difficult to figure out just what the law actually provides. Here's a simple list of what every person in California needs to know about the law and his/her rights under this law:
1 Every citizen and legal resident must have health insurance in 2014 or pay a penalty.
2 If your employer already provides "minimum value" "affordable" health insurance for you, you don't have to worry about all of this - you're covered. "Minimum value" means the insurance pays at least 60 percent of the cost of benefits (what's called a "60/40," or a "bronze," policy). "Affordable" means it costs you no more than 9.5 percent of your income for your own coverage.
3 If your employer does not provide this coverage, or if you are unemployed, or just employed occasionally or part time, and you expect to earn less than $15,856 in the year 2014, you are entitled to free Medi-Cal. You can sign up for it with Medi-Cal, or you can apply at www.coveredca.com, or you can just call (800) 300-1506.
4 If you earn more than $15,856 but less than $46,000 yourself, or up to about $94,000 for a family of four, you may be entitled to tax credits and subsidies to help pay for health care insurance. You can sign up for subsidized health care insurance at www.coveredca.com, or you can get help with this at (800) 300-1506.
5 Or, if you are one of the 2 percent of Americans who had substandard policies, and therefore received letters saying your insurance policy was being canceled, you may also be eligible for these subsidies and credits; or you can purchase a new, legal policy from the insurance agent/broker/company of your choice. But these cancellation letters only affected people who had purchased insurance that did not meet the standards for "minimum value" insurance (with no annual limits, no lifetime limits, etc.).
6 Bottom line - if you have any questions about what you are entitled to, call (800) 300-1506. That's the toll-free line for the California State Healthcare Exchange - there are hundreds of people on duty, speaking several languages, to answer your questions. Or, you can see it all at www.coveredca.com.
Whenever the partisan shouting about this law gets too loud, too confusing, or plain too bothersome, just refer back to this list. The law is definitely complex, but these six points will take you a long way toward knowing what your rights are under the law here in California.
This article was recently published in the SFGate.
Author: Bill Sokol
