AskBlue
Visit the AskBlue site for everything you need to know about reform.
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March 25, 2010
This week, the President of the United States signed the Senate Bill on Health Insurance Reform into law. Arkansas
Blue Cross and Blue Shield continues to have concerns about this Bill and its impact on taxpayers, businesses and
our members. That said, we will comply fully with all new regulations enacted and fully support the goal of increasing
access to health coverage for all Americans.
Arkansas Blue Cross understands that you, as our member, have lots of questions and concerns about health insurance reform
and how it will impact you and your health insurance coverage. We want to reassure you that current policies remain unchanged
under current law, and we are conducting business as usual. Also, there will be a six-month period following the enactment of
the final legislation to allow health plans to prepare for the legislative changes. And many provisions will not take
effect for several years.
We believe the following changes are likely to be implemented during the next 18 months:
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Access to temporary high-risk pools for adults who have had no health insurance for at least six months and have
pre-existing conditions. (Arkansas already has the CHIP program for these individuals.)
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Insurance companies cannot rescind or cancel an individual’s coverage due to a health condition except in cases
involving fraud and intentional misrepresentation.
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Insurers cannot apply pre-existing condition waiting periods for children under the age of 19.
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Insurance companies cannot impose lifetime dollar limits on coverage.
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Insurance companies must allow dependents to stay on their parent’s policies until age 26 if the dependent is not eligible
to enroll in an employer-sponsored group health plan.
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Medicare prescription drug beneficiaries who hit the “donut hole” in coverage will have a small added benefit.
The provisions of this law that will bring the most significant change will not take effect until 2014. They include:
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the establishment of insurance exchanges to allow people to shop for and compare health plans,
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guaranteed insurance coverage for people regardless of health conditions,
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expansion of Medicaid,
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subsidies for families with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level,
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health industry fees,
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employer penalties for some employers not offering health coverage to their employees, and
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the requirement that most Americans have health coverage or pay a penalty for failing to do so.
We are committed to keeping our members fully informed of the impact of reform on their health insurance
coverage. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Service. We also will continue
to have updates on our Web sites and in our quarterly member publication, Blue & You.
Although we are facing changes in the health insurance industry, what will never change is our commitment to providing
value and trusted service to our members. It is our privilege to serve you, and we will continue to do so now and in the future.
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