Many Challenges Ahead for Ohio Health Insurance

							   Many Challenges Ahead for Ohio Health Insurance
Many unanswered questions surround the controversial health reform as to how it
will work to benefit Americans. Ohioans may gain in some ways, but there are many
challenges in the path ahead.

With the Obama administration getting a second term in office, the stage is set for
the further implementation of the Affordable Care Act. However, there are still many
unanswered questions about the controversial health reform and how it will work to
benefit Americans. The Ohio health insurance scene will see major changes as the
state plans to have a federally-run health insurance exchange. This will have many
implications for health insurance in Ohio, and while some of these changes are posit-
ive, others may not be so.

Impact of Health Care Reform on Health Insurance Ohio

The Positives
 - No more denials for pre-existing conditions: Starting 2014, Ohioans who were
    denied coverage in the past due to pre-existing conditions or given an exclusion
    period, will have more security. Insurers cannot deny children and teenagers
    coverage because of their health history. They cannot charge a higher premium
    based on a person’s health history. Premiums may differ by age, but not by
    health status.

 - No more gender discrimination: Currently, Ohio health insurance plans charge a
    higher premium for women. This unfair practice will end in 2014 and women will
    be able to pay the same price as men for a policy.

 - Extended coverage for young adults: Young adults without job-based coverage
    can now stay on their parents’ plans till age 26.

 - Reduced penalties for older people: Starting January 2014, older Americans not
    yet on Medicare, will pay premiums that are lower than at present.

 - Preventive care coverage expanded: According to the U.S. Department of Health
    & Human Services, about 2,138,000 people in Ohio gained guaranteed access to
    preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing in 2011, including 1,852,561
    women. Low income populations in Oho have also benefited from the expansion
    of Medicaid programs.

 - More affordable prescription drug coverage: Senior residents in Ohio with Medi-
    care have saved up to $222,428,162 on their prescription drugs since the
    healthcare law was enacted. Thousands of these citizens benefited from a 50
    percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit
    the donut hole, the limit after which they are responsible for the full cost of their
    drugs. The law will close the donut hole in 2020.

Despite these positives, experts point out that the current state of the group, indi-
vidual, and public health insurance markets will see drastic changes that will alter the
Ohio health plan scenario.

The Issues
 - Decrease in physician income: Obamacare has left physicians unhappy. By ex-
    tending Medicaid coverage, health reform will impact doctors’ income - reim-
    bursement rates for Medicaid are lower than the rates doctors receive from pa-
    tients with private health insurance Ohio. Physicians are also worried about
    losing their decision-making capacity to government officials. Increasing paper-
    work burdens are causing many of them to move from private practice to work-
    ing in hospitals or groups.

 - Health insurance industry: Many Ohio health insurance companies have merged
    so as to be able to offer government plans. Insurers’ profits have fallen, at least,
    in the short-term. Government payments to Medicare Advantage plans have
    been reduced and insurers stand to lose due to the law which prevents them
    from selling Ohio health insurance plans with lifetime caps, denying coverage
    to children with preexisting conditions and withdrawing coverage for adults who
    fall sick.

     Ohio has given the go-ahead for the setting up of a federally run health insur-
     ance exchange, subject to state regulatory authority. With the individual man-
     date requiring all Ohioans to purchase coverage, there is a lot of worry regard-
     ing the fate of private health insurance companies and brokerages.

There are many other issues for which there are no clear answers at present: wheth-
er employers will continue to cover their workers, rising insurance premiums, exten-
sion of coverage for people with serious illnesses, and much more.

All the provisions of health reform will come into effect in 2014. Till then, the best
way forward is to stay safe by staying covered. Get professional support and choose
the right Ohio health plan.