Ed. note: This is cross-posted from hhs.gov. See the original post here.
As a mother and grandmother, I know how a mom’s voice is critical to maintaining the health of her family—and that’s true even after her kids have grown up into young adults. And as a trusted voice in the lives of their children, moms can play a vital role in getting the word out about the exciting new options for affordable, quality health coverage becoming available this fall for their children and other families in their communities.
Starting October 1, people who either do not have insurance or who buy their own but are looking for new options will be able to sign up for the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov. There, they will be able to compare easy-to-understand plans and choose the one that best suits their needs and budget for coverage that will start January 1st, 2014. Many families, including young adults, will also be eligible for tax credits that can help lower the cost of their premiums.
All of the plans must cover a set of essential benefits, such as maternity and newborn care, doctor visits, emergency care, prescription drugs, and mental health services. Insurers will be barred from discriminating against anyone because of their gender or a pre-existing condition, like breast cancer, asthma, or diabetes. That also means it will be illegal to deny women coverage or charge them more simply because of their sex—being a woman will finally no longer be a pre-existing condition.
But just because people have the opportunity to get new coverage doesn’t mean they know about it. And for too many Americans, quality, affordable health insurance has been out of reach for so long that they don’t believe it’s a possibility for them.
Fonte: White House