HAPPY 4th of July!

HAPPY 4^th of JULY!!!

This is the month for fun! Barbecues, picnics, swimming and of course “FIREWORKS!” But amongst all that fun here are some facts about injuries during this otherwise stress-free time. The U.S. Product Safety Commission reports more than 9,000 injuries from fireworks annually. A quarter of all eye injuries from fireworks result in permanent vision loss or blindness. Because of this alone you need to know how well you are protected with your health care coverage.

Last month the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. This means, that the changes that the insurance companies have made or are making to comply with this law are uninterrupted. Some of the newer changes that are in place or will be in place are as follows:

1. In-network women’s preventative services, including certain contraceptives as required under law, with no copay or coinsurance or deductible will be covered.
2. Children or dependents under the age of 26 will continue to be covered on their parents plan.
3. W-2 Reporting: Employers must begin preparing this year to report on employees’ 2012 W-2 forms – to be issued in January 2013 – the aggregate cost of their employer-sponsored coverage. Employers, however, may have chosen to report earlier on employees’ 2011 W-2 forms issued in January 2012.
4. Since the law remains in place, the requirement
   that insurers cover people with pre-existing medical conditions remains active.
5. The law also established that children under the age of 19 could no longer have limited benefits or be denied benefits because they had a pre-existing condition.
6. Starting in 2014, the law makes it illegal for any health insurance plan to use pre-existing conditions to exclude, limit or set unrealistic rates on coverage.

Regardless of the road we now travel on, we are doing this together. At Health Care Solutions we have taken the necessary steps to make sure that our agents and administrative staff are up to date and well educated on these rapid changing benefits that are being instituted. As we celebrate our country’s freedom we celebrate you, our clients and make this promise to you, that you will never be alone in these changing times.

Be safe! Have fun! Enjoy this 4^th of July knowing that you are protected in your health care for you and your family because you are part of our family too!