Benefits of Insurance
What’s a Health Insurance Marketplace? Why do I need health insurance?
The new health care law sets up a Health Insurance Marketplace in each state, which is your one-stop shopping destination for health insurance.
It works in the same way you would shop for any other important item in your life: You look at all the available options in your area, compare each plan’s features and prices side-by-side, then choose the one that fits your needs and your budget.
- Financial help is available
- Preventive care is free
- Application help is available — and free
- You can’t be turned down for coverage for a having a pre-existing condition
- The costs and benefits of each plan must be explained in easy-to-understand language — with no fine print
- All health insurance plans have to cover important benefits, like doctor visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions, and more
- Doctor visits
- Prescription coverage
- Mental health services
- Emergency services and hospitalizations
- Maternity care
- Infant care and children’s care
- Free preventive care, such as:
- Vaccinations
- Cholesterol screening
- Blood pressure screening
- Colorectal cancer screening
- Mammograms
- Pap smears
- Information obtained from getcovered.org
A Qualified Health Plan (QHP) is a health insurance policy that is certified to meet the minimum standards in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A QHP provides the following:
- Unlimited lifetime benefits
- No preexisting condition exclusion
- 100% preventive care coverage
- Hospital, medical/surgical expense coverage
- Emergency Services coverage
- Mental health/substance abuse coverage
- Rehabilitative and habilitative therapy coverage
- Prescription coverage
- Guaranteed renewable
- Enroll on healthcare.gov
- Can only enroll during Open Enrollment from November 1 – December 15 each year.
A Short-Term Limited Duration (STLD) Plan is a type of health plan that provides coverage for only certain specified health care services or treatments or provides coverage for health care services or treatments for certain conditions during a specified period.
- Lifetime maximum limit
- Limited number of visits
- Medically underwritten
- No coverage for preexisting conditions
- No mental health/substance abuse coverage
- No therapy, rehabilitative or habilitative services
- No prescription drug coverage
- May not offer policy renewal
- No preventative coverage
- No maternity coverage
- Membership dues to join association
- Can enroll year-round
