Health Care Reform(?) manager's admentment.

[SirNitram]

Link to the full text.

I figured I'd hit the highlights(Lowlights?) of the godawful sausage. I see enough positive that I think it should be passed so the Conference can go at blending in stuff, but.

Starting 2014: No Lifetime Or Annual Limits. (It bans Annual limits until then, on 'essential' care, a minefield of a word.)

Medical Loss Ratios: Group Insurance policies, 85%. Small Business/Individual: 80%. Any not spent up to this requirement will be extracted and refunded to the insured.

Appeals for Medical Denial: Stronger protections, and the Secretary of the HHS authorized to review.

You knew it was coming: States may opt out of providing abortion coverage in their local exchange.

Non-Profits Across States: OPM will be negotiating and overseeing it, with regards to the particulars of each. The upside here is that, unlike the proposals for such governed by federal regulation, this also requires meeting the regulations of the state you wish to sell in.

Vouchers(The hell is with vouchers everywhere?): YOu're allowed to receive a voucher equal to your employer's contribution and use it on the exchange.

Nebraska Gets More Medicaid Bucks: Because Ben Nelson will throw a hissy fit otherwise. Seriously, only Nebraska.

Taxes, taxes, taxes: 10% tax on indoor tanning.

Yet More Taxes: Credits for adoption, help for pregnant teenagers, according to the grand compromise of 'Promote less abortions'.

Caddy Tax: Now with exemptions, for dangerous professions.

Medicaid Expansion: 133%.

That's the important bits I can find. Again, I think getting this done with amendments and booted to conference would help. But we'll see.

[Spyder]

How do the current annual limits work?

[Broomstick]

Depends entirely on the policy.

For example, my current policy will pay for no more than $300,000 per year total. The policy I had prior to it had no limits of that sort, nor lifetime cap. Other polices may have a lifetime limit of $1,000,000 but you could spend that all in one year or stretched out over several years. I've seen annual limits as low as $3,500. It's all what the particular policy offers.

Keep in mind - for most Americans they don't get to choose their policy, their employer does.