Before taking a look at Joe Biden’s input in the Cares Act, let us check out how it all started in the first place. The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and then enacted by President Barak Obama on March 23, 2010. On June 28, 2012, the United States Supreme Court rendered its final decision to support said law.
Signing the Affordable Care Act into law meant that more than 32 million Americans will be able to pay for health insurance for the first time in their lives. 95% of Americans under 65 will have insurance. Through this Law, 9 million Hispanics will have access to affordable health care.
The Affordable Care Act included new types of patient protection that give you greater control over your health care. As of September 23, 2010, the new law ended some of the worst abuses by insurance companies to bring significant new benefits to you and your family. The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from refusing to cover or limiting benefits to children (up to age 19) due to a pre-existing medical condition. This prohibition applies to all health plans offered by employers and new policies purchased by individuals.
In 2014, discrimination against any individual with a pre-existing condition was prohibited. It prohibits insurance plans from putting annual caps on the amount of money they use for benefits. In the past, patients suffering from cancer or chronic diseases were at risk of reaching lifetime limits and losing access to care. The law also places restrictions on the use of a low annual benefit money limit by most insurance companies. In 2014, the annual limits were removed.
The Affordable Care Act also prohibits insurance plans from canceling coverage due to inadvertent application errors. It prohibits new insurance plans from denying necessary care coverage without the ability to appeal to a third party and provides all the new protections to consumers with minimal impact on premiums of between 1% and 2%.
The Affordable Care Act also heightened the benefits enjoyed by Medicare beneficiaries. It created a new program called, the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, to make health coverage available to you if you are without coverage. It guaranteed you the ability to access any primary care or pediatric doctors available in your plan’s provider network. It also guarantees women the right to visit an obstetrician/gynecologist without the need for a prior referral.
Get a certified full-text version of the Affordable Care Act. Click here
Moving on to the Biden administration, what changes have been made?
On January 28th, 2021, Joe Biden in a press room briefing stated an executive order on strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. President Joe Biden has also put in place policy meant to protect and strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. The aim is to make high-quality care accessible and affordable for every American.
Consumers can start signing up for coverage which will begin from January 2022. Individuals on the coverage would be entitled to More affordable health plans, choice of plans with lower cost-sharing, and more help.
