Making Care More Affordable
The health care law is bringing down health care costs and making sure health care dollars are spent wisely.
• 80/20 Rule: The health insurance companies of 76 million Americans now have to meet the 80/20 rule, or Medical Loss Ratio, where they must spend at least 80 cents of your premium dollar on your health care or improvements to care. If they fail to meet this standard, they must provide a rebate to their customers. Already, the 80/20 rule is helping deliver rebates worth $1.1 billion to nearly 13 million consumers – an average rebate of $151 per household.
• Reviewing premium increases: For the first time ever in every State, insurance companies must publicly justify any rate increase of 10% or more. And the law gives States new resources to review and block these premium hikes. To date, rate review has helped save an estimated $1 billion for Americans and 42 States have used their rate review grant funds to make the rate review process stronger and more transparent. Since this rule was implemented, the number of requests for insurance premium increases of 10% or more has dropped dramatically, from 75% to 14%. The average premium increase for all rates in 2012 was 30% below what it was in 2010 this slowdown has continued into 2013.
• Small business tax credits: Small businesses have long paid a higher price for health insurance – often 18% more than larger employers. Tax credits for small businesses will benefit an estimated two million workers who get their insurance from an estimated 360,000 small employers who received the credit in 2011. In 2014, small business owners will get more relief with tax credits and affordable insurance choices in the new competitive health insurance marketplace in every State.
• Supporting early retiree coverage: The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) has provided $5 billion in reinsurance payments to employers so they can continue to provide benefits to their retired workers who are not yet eligible for Medicare. This program has reduced premiums or cost sharing for at least 19 million early retirees, workers, their spouses, surviving spouses and dependents.
• http://www.healthcare.gov/law/information-for-you/benefits.html