insurance law

Now that American consumers can start shopping for private health insurance through exchanges, the Washington Post has a great explainer on how the exchanges will work. 

Some things I learned that I didn't know:

1. If folks can't find an affordable plan, they don't have to buy coverage if it's more than 8% of their income.

2. The proportion of people who won't be affected by the law is higher than I thought. Only 20% of Americans don't get insurance from employers or the government and will need to access the exchanges.

3. Smokers have to disclose their tobacco use and will be charged extra for their health insurance.

The clash over the requirement that most employers, as well as insurers for religious institutions that are not directly associated with houses of worship, cover female employees' contraception is primed for the U.S. Supreme Court, UPI reports. The Sixth and Third Circuits ruled against challenges to the insurance mandate to cover contraception, but the 10th Circuit has ruled in favor of a challenge by two private, secular companies, UPI also reported. The Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court to grant certiorari on the issue, and such requests tend to be granted by the justices, UPI also reports.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was supposed to ensure mental-health treatment and addiction-treatment services get the same coverage from insurers as physical ailments. "But five years after President George W. Bush signed the law, there is widespread agreement that it has fallen short of its goal of creating parity for mental health coverage," the New York Times reports. One of the issues is regulations to put meat on the bones of the statute have never been written by federal regulators.