Current Laws
COBRA
- Also known as the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985
- Stipulates that if a person who is insured under an employer's plan loses their job they can continue that health insurance policy for a period of up to 18 months
- But they have to pay all fees and premiums entirely
- This law also holds true for any dependents who were also covered by the policy
HIPPA
- Also known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
- States that you cannot be denied coverage by a new employer for pre-existing medical conditions that were covered by your last employer's plan
- HIPPA only protects people if they change employers within 63 days
State-guaranteed Health Coverage
- To qualify you must have such a bad medical situation that it would be too risky for a private company to insure you
- Eligibility for being in this pool varies greatly by state
Medicaid
- Federal and state governments collaborate to provide this service
- Must have a low income or be "medically needy" to qualify
- Government sponsored coverage
Future Laws
Mccarran-Ferguson Act of 1945
- This is not actually future legislation, but it is important to make note of when discussing the future of laws relating to health insurance
- The act states that all provider insurance will be regulated by state legislatures and insurance commissioners
- The result of this is that insurance pricing and availability vary widely throughout the nation
- This reality contributes to the complexity of health insurance problems today
Diagnosing our current system
American Cancer Society's "principles for quality health insurance"
http://www.emaxhealth.com/72/12732.html
Counting the uninsured:
http://www.emaxhealth.com/72/12621.html
Nashville's project geared toward uninsured young people:
http://www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/2004/July/nw0723-1.htm
New York's try fresh strategy to deal with high premiums:
http://www.emaxhealth.com/72/4053.html
Barack Obama thinking big on national health insurance: