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Blue Cross fills information gap on healthcare reform

Blue Cross of Idaho
If you have questions about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or "healthcare reform," you're not alone. We're here to keep you informed about the basics of the law.

The following is a partial list of the healthcare reform provisions already in place, though not every provision of the PPACA will affect you or your coverage. You can learn more at our Healthcare Reform web page.

Flexible spending accounts: Starting Jan. 1, 2013, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contributions are limited to $2,500 per year, indexed for inflation.
You should know: There are some exceptions to the FSA cap, so check with your financial advisor.

Preventive care benefits: The law prohibits cost-sharing for preventive services, including immunizations, breast cancer screening and other recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control, for plan years beginning on or after Sept. 23, 2010.
You should know: When performed in-network, we cover preventive care services at 100 percent, not subject to deductible. This means it doesn't cost you anything to visit your doctor for a wellness check. (This does not apply to grandfathered products.)

Lifetime benefit limit: Reform regulation prohibits lifetime and annual dollar limits for "essential benefits." Plans may retain or establish limits for nonessential benefits until Jan. 1, 2014 for plan years beginning on or after Sept. 23, 2010.

You should know: Blue Cross of Idaho removed its $1-million comprehensive lifetime limit for covered services and replaced it with a $2-million annual maximum for 2012-2013. We will not have an annual dollar maximum limit after Jan. 2014. In addition; we have removed or modified the annual dollar limits on some benefits.

Grandfathered status: The law states that group and individual plans can retain the benefit plan structure they had prior to PPACA requirements under some conditions. Grandfathered individual and group health plans are exempt from certain provisions of PPACA.

You should know: If an individual or group makes changes to health plan coverage or changes coverage plans, the group or individual health plan may lose grandfathered status, and the new coverage will need to reflect all the changes required by the PPACA.

Find out if these changes affect your insurance by calling your group administrator or referring to your contract for detailed information about the terms and conditions of your healthcare plan. Also, check the Blue Cross Healthcare Reform page for more details.