Affordable Care Act and Medicare - - Health Care Systems

PART 1: (25 points) Go to the Timeline of the Affordable Care Act , click on See More 2010 Changes to begin and complete:

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond, with most changes taking place by 2014.
    
2. Read the timeline, copy and paste the following..answer them with a  True or False

2010
A. Up to 4 million small businesses are eligible for tax credits to help them provide insurance benefits to their workers.
B. States will be able to choose to cover additional low-income individuals and families under Medicaid for whom federal funds were not previously available, and they will be eligible to receive federal matching funds.
C. 4 million seniors reached the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage known as the “donut hole, and each senior received a tax-free, one-time check for $5,000.
D. A Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) provides new coverage options to individuals who have been uninsured for at least six months because of a pre-existing condition. States have the option of running this new program in their state. According to the Affordable Care Act, all discrimination against pre-existing conditions will be prohibited by 2014.
E. Under the new law, young adults are allowed to stay on their parent’s plan until they turn 26 years old.
F. All new plans must cover certain preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies, but there is no maximum out-of-pocket for the patient.
G. In the past, insurance companies could search for an error on a customer’s application and use this error to deny payment for services when he or she got sick. The new law makes this illegal.
H. Insurance companies are prohibited from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits, like hospital stays.
I. New rules allow denial of coverage to children under the age of 19 due to a pre-existing condition.

2011
J.  States can receive federal grants to set up or expand independent offices that help consumers navigate the private health insurance system, file complaints and appeals, enroll in health coverage, and get educated about their rights and responsibilities in group health plans or individual health insurance policies.
K. A $15 billion Prevention and Public Health Fund helps Americans prevent illnesses by educating on stopping smoking and keeping a healthy weight.
L. Since only 33% of medically underserved communities are in rural areas, that is not a significant enough percentage to provide additional funding for.
M. The law provides certain free preventive services, such as annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans, for seniors on Medicare.
N. For health insurance plans sold to individuals and small employers, at least 80% of the premium must be spent on benefits and quality improvement. If these goals are not met because administrative costs or profits are too high, rebates must be provided to consumers.
O. The Community Care Transitions Program helps high-risk Medicare beneficiaries who are hospitalized avoid unnecessary readmissions by not allowing patients admittance into the hospital after two times.

2012
P. There are incentives for physicians to join and form “Accountable Care Organizations” where doctors can better coordinate patient care and improve the quality, help prevent disease and illness, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
Q. A collection and reporting of racial, ethnic, and language data will help Health and Human Services identify and reduce health disparities.
R. Effective October 1st, the new law starts a series of changes to standardize billing and requires health plans to stop using all electronic sources of data collection.

2013-2015
S. Which three parts of the Affordable Care Act would be most beneficial to our current heath care system?Why??

PART 2: (15 points) Go to the New York Times Article and read it! 
1. What opportunities does the Affordable Care act provide?
2. What will happen to people who do not take part in the exchanges?
3. When were Americans 65 and older first eligible to take part in the new Medicare health insurance program? How many were insured then?
4. List ways that the 1960's were different than trying to insure the elderly today?
5.  What types of events are likely to increase the number of people eligible for the exchange subsidies?


Title your document: 2013-10-10-YOURLASTNAME-AffordableCareAct and email it to me at hammanga@gmail.com

TOTAL: 40 points::due next Tuesday