Health Insurance Benefits Kick In

Well we have hit one of the milestones along the affordable health care highway. Effective September 23rd there are a few new benefits that kick in

• Life time maximums no longer exist
• children can now stay on their parents policies until age 26
• Annual limits no longer exist
• 100% of preventive care costs will be paid for in-network claims

As you might expect each of these will come with a cost and that cost will soon become apparent once the insurance companies begin raising their rates in the next few months.

Of all of these benefits the only one I think deserves to be mandated is number four. Preventive care can go a long way to lowering the long term costs of health care. If we catch the problem before it becomes a problem then we can avoid the catastrophic event. What a great innovation in thinking!! So I am all for number four

As far as numbers 1, 2 & 3 why didn't we make them OPTIONS!!!! Options that those who want them can PAY for them instead of everyone having to pay for them across the board.

I have never had a client ask me why the Lifetime benefits were so low.

I have had very few ask me why their annual maximums were so low.

I have had a few ask why they could not keep their children who are still in school on their policies, but most of the insurance companies had already put this into effect without the help of the Federal Government.

The sad reality is now due to large government intervention we will have some changes that were probably not even necessary. They were certainly not necessary as MANDATED benefits, and they will come with cost increases that will never be rolled back even if the Heath Care Reform package is repealed in the next Congress.

When we ever learn to really tell Washington to stay out of our pockets!!