The Obama administration on Friday issued a final rule that implements five key consumer protections in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Some of the consumer protections—including for those with pre-existing conditions—have been among the most popular parts of the often-controversial reform law.
"Because of the Affordable Care Act, being denied affordable health coverage due to medical conditions will be a thing of the past for every American," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. "Being sick will no longer keep you, your family, or your employees from being able to get affordable health coverage."
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Under these reforms, all individuals and employers have the right to purchase health insurance coverage regardless of health status. Additionally, insurers are prevented from charging discriminatory rates to individuals and small employers based on factors such as health status or gender, and young adults have additional affordable coverage options under catastrophic plans.
Today's final rule implements five key provisions of the PPACA that are applicable to non-grandfathered health plans:
•Guaranteed availability. Nearly all health insurance companies offering coverage to individuals and employers will be required to sell health insurance policies to all consumers. No one can be denied health insurance because they have or had an illness.
•Fair health insurance premiums. Health insurance companies offering coverage to individuals and small employers will only be allowed to vary premiums based on age, tobacco use, family size, and geography. Basing premiums on other factors will be illegal. The factors that are no longer permitted in 2014 include health status, past insurance claims, gender, occupation, how long an individual has held a policy, or size of the small employer.
•Guaranteed renewability. Health insurance companies will no longer refuse to renew coverage because an individual or an employee has become sick. You may renew your coverage at your option.
•Single risk pool. Health insurance companies will no longer be able to charge higher premiums to higher cost enrollees by moving them into separate risk pools. Insurers are required to maintain a single state-wide risk pool for the individual market and single state-wide risk pool for the small group market.
•Catastrophic plans. Young adults and people for whom coverage would otherwise be unaffordable will have access to a catastrophic plan in the individual market. Catastrophic plans generally will have lower premiums, protect against high out-of-pocket costs, and cover recommended preventive services without cost sharing.
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