Eboni from Texas: Dealing with Dropped Coverage
As a full-time MBA candidate on a student insurance plan, Eboni assumed that any unforeseen health costs would mostly be paid for. But then weeks of pain led to a visit to the emergency room and a diagnosis of a ruptured cyst, which ultimately could have caused her to lose her ovaries.
After she had the necessary (and expensive) surgery, Eboni’s insurance company declared that she had a pre-existing condition, and it denied her coverage retroactively. Her unpaid medical bills totaled $34,000, an unimaginable amount for someone who was barely getting by on student loans. And her health problems were far from solved: She couldn’t even see a doctor for follow-up. Though she only had one more semester to go before earning her degree, she almost had to quit school and find a job so she could get basic insurance.
This story has a happier ending than many. With the help of a lawyer who threatened legal action on her behalf, Eboni was able to get the decision reversed and the debt erased. But should any American have to wage a legal battle to force an insurance company to cover the bills it said it would?
"Under new plans, no child under age 19 will be denied coverage for a pre-existing conditions, period. Adults who have been without insurance for six months and who have been unable to obtain insurance because of a pre-existing condition, can apply for coverage under the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP)."
Insurers can no longer cut someone after the fact.
New screening procedures are now in place for health care providers to eliminate fraud and waste in the health care system.
Medicare Part D enrollees who hit the Medicare prescription drug benefit gap in 2010 will automatically receive a $250 rebate check.
Effective immediately, qualified small employers get tax credits of up to 35% of premiums for offering coverage.
Video
America's new health care law makes it easier for you to find the quality, affordable health care that you and your family need.
