White House Outlines New Healthcare Laws

WASHINGTON – Although healthcare legislation will not take full effect until 2014, the Obama Administration has made it a priority to spell out the benefits of the new laws early on.

The White House also said it is incorporating a list of safeguards, what they are calling a ‘Patient’s Bill of Rights’.

The new law’s biggest benefit will be that of covering an estimated 32 million people who are now uninsured.

The safeguards include guaranteed coverage for all children and a ban on lifetime coverage limits. It is estimated that 100 million people currently have lifetime coverage limits.

The safeguards also call for a phase-out of annual coverage limits, with an annual limit of $750,000 initially, $2 million by 2012 and complete removal of any limits by 2014.

They also guarantee that policy holders are able to make their choice among primary care doctors and pediatricians from a plan’s network. No referrals will be needed for women to see OB-GYN specialists, and no approval will be needed to seek emergency care that is out-of-network.

The safeguards are also supposed to protect those who get sick while covered, and state that mistakes made while applying for insurance should not be used to revoke a policy.

The new laws govern new insurance policies, but do not necessarily cover policies that are ‘grandfathered in’.

Despite the hype from the White House much controversy over the new healthcare reform remains.

Many say that the country cannot afford to foot the bill, and others argue that insurance companies will jack up rates and suck the government dry. An argument not without merit, as Obama and his administration have been meeting consistently with healthcare officials and insurance executives.

Last year alone healthcare insurance policies rose nearly 20% as a national average.