The next round of federal health care reform provisions take effect on Thursday, September 23, 2010. Mississippi’s Insurance Commissioner joined a group of insurance commissioners who met with President Obama in Washington D.C. Wednesday to discuss the effects of the legislation on each state.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney urges Mississippi consumers to check with their insurance companies to see how the new provisions affect their policies.
"I want to stress that while these new provisions go into effect on the 23rd, most Mississippi policyholders will not see changes until their policies renew, and for most that won't occur until January, 1, 2011," Chaney said.
Several major provisions take effect Thursday. They include:
For plan years that begin on September 23, 2010 or later: An insurance company cannot cancel a policy for any reason except for fraud or misrepresentation.
Lifetime limits are prohibited. For plan years that begin on September 23, 2010 or later: An insurance company can no longer set a cap on claims payments for essential benefits.
Preexisting condition exclusions for minors are prohibited. For plan years that begin on September 23, 2010 or later: An insurance company cannot deny coverage to any person under the age of 19 due to a pre-existing condition.
For plan years that begin on September 23, 2010 or later: Children may remain covered by their parents insurance plan until the age of 26.
To learn more about the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care click here or call the Mississippi Insurance Department at 1-800-562-2957.
Meanwhile Mississippi Doctors for America members released a letter saying they’re outraged at Governor Barbour for joining 20 states that filed a lawsuit to block implementation of the healthcare act. Physicians in Mississippi signed a letter stating the lawsuit will harm their patients by delaying Medicaid funding and slowing the implementation of the PPACA in their state.
“The lawsuits are a distraction from the real work ahead of us to make sure all of our patients have access to affordable, quality health care,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, President of Doctors for America. “Instead of wasting taxpayer money on politically tainted lawsuits, we need our elected leaders to focus on implementing health reform to ensure our patients get the care they need when they need it.”
The group says there are more than 532,000 uninsured people in Mississippi.
“As doctors, we know people get sick and need care. Having health insurance will give patients the peace of mind that they won’t leave the hospital thousands of dollars in debt and instead can focus on getting well,” said Dr. Murthy.
