Five weeks remain until adults can sign up for health plans through online marketplaces, but many parents don’t know that some services mandated through health care reform are already available to children. U.S. News held a with experts from the Urban Institute, Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, First Focus and the American Academy of Pediatrics last week to address the broad impact of Obamacare on children’s coverage. They discussed open enrollment, the statistics of uninsured children, public versus private insurance, additional pediatric benefits and changes for young adults.
Shopping for health insurance
Under Obamacare, individuals and families that lack government or employer-based health plans — including self-employed people and those working for companies with fewer than 50 employees — will be eligible to shop for coverage in marketplaces called Health Insurance Exchanges. This collection of online insurance shopping malls is scheduled to open Oct. 1. It will feature websites established by the federal and state governments. U.S. News will offer a guide to the state exchanges, along with individual health plan data at . Families also can go directly to a broker or health insurance company. An estimated “11.5 million parents are uninsured,” during the chat. “Many will have coverage for the first time in January,” when the insurance kicks in.
Children don’t have to wait. Most are already eligible for coverage today. Stephen Zuckerman, senior fellow for the Urban Institute wrote that this coverage comes through . Joan Alker, president of the Center for Children and Families, called Medicaid and CHIP, free or low-cost health coverage run by the federal and state governments, the “MVPs” of health insurance for children. she tweeted.
How many kids are uninsured?
The rates of uninsured children are at a record low. Still, one in 10 — or 7.6 million — children in the United States is uninsured, , a child advocacy nonprofit. Parents often aren’t aware that children are eligible to sign up for benefits through public plans, Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, a bipartisan advocacy organization for children and families. he wrote. Zuckerman tweeted,
Should parents consider public and private insurance?
In some cases children are better off signing up for public health insurance than through private plans or through state marketplaces. To evaluate which is best, parents need to look at the cost of the plan, its benefits and the choice of doctor. Lesley wrote that Thomas McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, urges parents to Lisa Clemans-Cope, senior research associate for the Urban Institute, wrote, Cost sharing covers deductibles, copays and other health plan provisions that shift costs to consumers.
What benefits should parents expect for children?
Private health insurance plans now offer many of the same services as Medicaid and CHIP in some states. Twenty-six preventive services are now free to families with private insurance, eliminating copays, deductibles, or co-insurance. This includes immunization for Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus and HPV; obesity screening and counseling; blood pressure, autism and depression screenings and iron supplements for children ages 6 to 12 months at risk for anemia, . First Focus tweeted that covering preventive care helps Children under 19 with disabilities or pre-existing conditions, like asthma, diabetes and cancer, cannot be denied coverage or dropped from a plan.
Health reform also includes Essential Health Benefits, that insurance companies must cover to be certified and offered in marketplaces. They include pediatric dental and vision care, emergency services, maternity and newborn care, and mental health and substance use disorder services. Health insurance companies are not required to cover vision and dental for adults over 19, though, so parents should be attentive to this when assessing plans. Zuckerman wrote that . Children’s Partnership wrote,
What if your child is growing up?
Youths up to age 26 can consider staying on their parents’ health plan versus taking employer insurance or signing up for public insurance. ” Young adults should compare the cost and coverage of their employer’s insurance against their parents’ plans, and see whether their parents’ plan will cover them, especially if they’re living in a different city than their parents. AAP’s McInerny says young adults have more options because of the Affordable Care Act. he wrote.
Participants also shared personal experiences. Tiffany Jamoralin, health program associate at the Children’s Partnership, tweeted,
