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.
This project is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1.5 million with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.*
- 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, 2025 – January 15, 2026 unless someone qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period “SEP”.
