Still not clear on the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act? Here’s an easy tipsheet to help you get the most benefit out of health reform in 2011.
5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Health Reform
A main thrust of the Affordable Care Act was to bring more transparency to the private health insurance market. Much of this is accomplished by the new federal website, healthcare.gov. If you are uninsured or buy your health coverage on the open market as an individual, you should log on to healthcare.gov. The site will guide you through the insurance options available to you based on the state you live in, your personal circumstances and even your income and health status. You can see baseline premium pricing information for each plan, as well as the percentage of people who were denied coverage and the percentage of applicants who were charged premiums higher than the baseline. It's easy to compare various plans against each other. The site is a work in progress and many users are eventually directed to contact insurers or states directly. Still, healthcare.gov is the first website to organize health insurance options — public and private — in one place. Next: Seniors: Take Advantage of New Medicare Benefits SPECIAL REPORT: See Healthland's Full Guide to Life in 2011
