What’s Different Now That Healthcare Has Passed?

That’s the question I’ve been wondering. Fortunately the people at Crooks and Liars have the answer:

-Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday
-Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
-No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
-Free preventative care for all
-Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.
Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.
-The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.
Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
-Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.
-AND no more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can’t lose your insurance because you get sick.

Ezra Klein, the foremost healthcare expert also has a helpful post. I’m especially excited about the free preventative care for all which (if I’m correct) means if I get hit by a bus, I’ll just have to worry about how many of my bones are broken, and not what it all is going to cost.

–Jasper Hart