well, it's finally happening. after yearsof drama on capitol hill, a supreme court case, a presidential election, and a mayanapocalypse that could have stopped it dead in its tracks — but didn't — the marqueeelements of the affordable care act, sometimes called obamacare, are about to kick in. andbig changes are coming to health insurance in 2014 (twenty-fourteen).in the next five minutes you'll get a pretty good lay of the land by once again watchingyour fellow americans, the youtoons, find their way through the system.there are four main ways nearly all of us will experience health care once the healthreform law goes fully into effect. about half of us will get insurance through our jobs,just like today. about one-third will get
covered by the government through medicareand medicaid. around one in ten will buy insurance ourselves. and unfortunately another thirtymillion of us or so, just under one in ten, still may not have coverage at all.let's begin in the workplace. many americans are already covered by their employers, andfor them not a whole lot will change. there will be some new advantages though — likecaps on how much you have to pay out of pocket, and free preventive care.the bigger changes are coming for those who work for larger companies but aren't coverednow. that's because the government will require companies with fifty or more employees tocover full-time workers — or pay a penalty — so more workers may find themselves covered.smaller employers won't face the same penalties
for refusing to buy insurance but they'llbe encouraged to. the government will be setting up special marketplaces to make it easierfor small employers to take the plunge. some will be offered temporary tax breaks if theydo. and unlike now, insurers can't inflate prices if some employees are sick.so, many of us will be getting covered at work. a lot of us will be covered with helpfrom the government, just like today. not much will change for seniors on medicare — thelaw has already started helping with prescription drugs and better preventive care, and thatwill continue. medicaid, on the other hand, is expandingto cover more of us, especially poor adults, many of whom aren't eligible today. if yourincome is low, medicaid will cover you, most
likely in a private insurance plan. but there'sa catch. the supreme court ruled that governors and legislatures of each state should decidewhether or not to be part of expanding medicaid. in states that get on board the feds willcover almost all of the cost. for those that don't, you may be left with the same optionsyou have today if you're poor. you'll want to check out your state's decision if youthink you might qualify for medicaid. even with employer coverage and the expansionin medicaid, a lot of us will still be left out. for those not covered, or who find theirwork coverage too expensive, a new way to buy insurance on our own will be popping upeverywhere. they're called health insurance marketplaces, though they may have a fanciername than that in your state.
the health insurance marketplace is like avirtual insurance mega-mall. here you'll find private insurers competing for your business.you'll be able to pick how much coverage you want and how much you want to pay for it,from cheaper high deductible bronze plans to more expensive platinum plans.still, all plans will cover a comprehensive set of services like hospital and doctor visits,maternity care, mental health care, and drugs -- most everything any of us need, at leastwhen it comes to medical care. as with medicaid, not all governors are onboard to set up these marketplaces. but the feds will open their own in those states,so you probably won't notice much of a difference. one big advantage of buying insurance throughthese new marketplaces is that the federal
government will provide most people with atax credit to make insurance more affordable if you don't have any other options and yourincome is below a certain level. in fact, most people buying on their own willbe eligible for a credit and won't have to pay the whole premium themselves. and themarketplaces will make sure insurance companies operate fairly under strict rules. they'llhave to offer everyone insurance even if they're sick. and they won't be able to charge morefor pre-existing conditions. unlike today, men and women will pay the sameprice. and prices for older people will come down, while young people will pay more. tokeep costs down for young people, they'll be able to stay on their parents' plans 'tilltwenty-six and buy low-budget "catastrophic"
plans 'till they're thirty.of course all these changes still don't mean insurance will be cheap. most people buyingtheir own coverage will end up paying less with the new health insurance tax credits.but some people will have to pay more, even though many of them will be getting betterand more secure insurance. and let's be realistic. not everyone's goingto run out and buy insurance. some might say, "hold on a minute! if i can't be turned downor charged more, why not just wait until i get sick or injured to buy insurance at all?"well, first, you can only get coverage during special enrollment periods, so if you snoozeyou may lose. and second, thanks to something called the individual mandate, if you're notinsured you pay a fine, making this option
seem not nearly so clever. still, if you reallycan't afford to buy in, and can't get insurance anywhere else, the government will waive thepenalty. so don't panic. by now you've probably noticed a lot morepeople will be getting a lot more coverage. where will the money to pay for that comefrom? taxes — many of them targeted at the health industry itself, and even tanning services.yes, individuals will pay too, mostly the wealthiest americans who will be paying moreinto medicare. also, hospitals and insurance companies participating in medicare will getpaid somewhat less. not painless, but somebody's gotta pay.so as america prepares for twenty-fourteen, how will you be covered? how would you liketo be? now's the time to figure it out — and
get on the path to setting yourself up forthe best insurance at the best price... because who wouldn't want that?
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