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?
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"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)."
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Insurers can no longer cut someone after the fact.
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New screening procedures are now in place for health care providers to eliminate fraud and waste in the health care system.
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Medicare Part D enrollees who hit the Medicare prescription drug benefit gap in 2010 will automatically receive a $250 rebate check.
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Effective immediately, qualified small employers get tax credits of up to 35% of premiums for offering coverage.
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America's new health care law makes it easier for you to find the quality, affordable health care that you and your family need.
