Monday, May 14, 2012
What provisions of the Affordable Care Act are going to be implemented in the future?
Many key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are already in place, and the others are being implemented through 2014. Already, insurers are barred from denying children health insurance from children because of a pre-existing condition, young adults can remain on their parents’ health plans until their 26th birthday, and seniors are getting help paying for prescription drugs and now have access to preventive services, to name but a few changes.
As you can see in the map below from the Kaiser Family Foundation, New Mexico stands to benefit more from the ACA more than most states. Our state has the second-highest rate of uninsurance in the nation, and the ACA is helping to change that. New Mexico has received funding to expand and improve health care around our state, doing things like creating maternal-infant education programs, establishing a high-risk insurance pool for uninsured New Mexicans, and investing in the improvement and expansion of community health centers that serve rural areas.
Who Benefits from the Affordable Care Act Coverage Expansions?
But there is more to come. The individual responsibility provision, commonly referred to as the “insurance mandate” will be implemented on January 1 of 2014, and will require most Americans to obtain some form of health insurance. This provision will have no impact on most Americans, who obtain insurance through their employers, and there is financial help available for those who may not be able to afford insurance on their own. You can read more about the mandate elsewhere on my website.
Many of the other provisions within the ACA will also impact New Mexico in a very positive way:
“ Many of the upcoming provisions within the ACA will also impact New Mexico in a very positive way. ”