Baby boomers look to reap greater benefits than from the Affordable Care Act than before, as the federal government initiates changes to the health care law in coming years, reports USA Today.
As unemployment and rising health care costs have shrunk many retirement funds among many aging Americans, the recession looks to have impacted boomers more heavily than most groups, the article from USA Today suggests.
But as the government moves forward with changes to the Affordable Care Act set to occur for 2014, boomers might find the void caused by the recession filled with less payment discrimination for benefits, along with easier, one-stop shopping for health insurance.
USA Today writes:
Beginning in 2014, the law is supposed to prevent insurers from denying overage to those who have a pre-existing condition. On Nov. 20, the Obama administration said that it was moving forward to implement provisions to ban discrimination and protect consumers from possible insurance abuses.
The ACA also will do away with lifetime and annual dollar limits on benefits, and it will limit the age rating so that a Boomer can only pay three times as much as a younger person.
AdvertisementHealth insurance will not necessarily be less costly. It will be operated by state health insurance exchanges, which will offer a competitive private health insurance market that should provide one-stop shopping.
Even under these circumstances for 2014, USA Today notes that it will be unclear if the start of the ACA changes will be delayed, or if other changes will be made prior to the expected changes.
Regardless, the ACA is likely to trigger many more changes, writes USA Today. One such alternative to health benefits offered by employers is a fixed amount of money given to retirees that can be used to select health insurance at state marketplaces.
Read the full USA Today article here.
Written by Jason Oliva
