How employers are planning to communicate and educate their employees on the new legislation:
51% e-mails
49% special written communication pieces
42% organization's Web site
37% already have communicated with employees
42% are planning communication
21% are planning to add or increase emphasis on high-deductible health plans in the next 12 months. Close to 70% of these employers are likely to focus on account-based plans linked to health savings accounts.
48% are focusing on redesigning their health plans so that by 2018, their plans will avoid triggering the excise "Cadillac" tax for high-value plans.
Wave of health reform provisions begin this month
The following are some key provisions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. They are effective on or after Sept. 23:
- No discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions: Prohibits all employer plans and new plans in the individual market from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions.
- No rescissions: Bans all health plans from dropping people from coverage when they get sick.
- No lifetime limits on coverage: Prohibits all health plans from placing ifetime caps on coverage.
- Tightly regulates annual limits on coverage: Tightly restricts the use of annual limits by all employer plans and new plans in the individual market, to ensure access to needed care.
- Free preventive care under new plans: Requires new private plans to cover preventive services with no co-payments and with preventive services being exempt from deductibles.
- New, independent appeals process for new plans: Ensures consumers in new plans have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal decisions.
- No discrimination based on salary: Prohibits new employer health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees.
- Extending coverage for young people up to 26th birthday through parents' insurance: Requires plans to allow young people up to their 26th birthday to remain on their parents' insurance policy, at the parents' choice.
