Health Care Reform For California Residents

Almost one in every five Californians goes without health insurance, millions more have inadequate insurance, and countless more struggle with accumulating medical bills and discriminatory practices by insurers.
The health reform legislation recently passed by Congress would provide virtually every Californian with affordable health insurance, either on the job, through a newly created Health Exchange, from an expansion of Medi-Cal, or through improved Medicare benefits.
As a result of the federal health reform bills, most Californians will have additional security with the coverage they have, and over 4.1 million Californians now uninsured would have new access to able to purchase coverage in the newly-created Health Insurance Exchange (most with the help of affordability credits). Of those, about 1.7 million Californians (mostly low-income adults without children under 18) would become newly eligible for Medi-Cal.

•Health reform will assure Californians have affordable, quality coverage.
•Strong consumer protections and real benefits: Health insurers cannot deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions, and all health insurance will have robust benefits similar to those paid for by most large employers, with at least 60 cents of every premium dollar being spent on care.
•Affordable coverage: No one will ever need to spend more than a percentage of their income—on a sliding scale, up to 9.5 percent--on premiums. In the exchange, out-ofpocket costs would be capped to no more than $6,200 per individual for copayments or deductibles—with more help for those with lower incomes.
•Health insurance will be available and affordable regardless of major life changes such as loss of your job, divorce, aging off your parents’ coverage, cancer, etc...
•Health reform will insure virtually all (96%) Californians, dramatically reducing the number of uninsured by more than 4 million uninsured over the next decade.
•Expanding coverage: Californians would get coverage on the job, through an expansion of Medi-Cal, through the newly created Health Insurance Exchange, or through strengthened Medicare.
•Opportunities for young adults: Beginning this year, 3.8 million young adults in California will have the opportunity to stay on their parents’ private insurance plan until age 26.
•Health reform will reform the health insurance market, protecting consumers from discriminatory premium pricing or denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
•No pre-existing conditions: After 2014, no one will ever again be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition, and beginning this year, insurers can no longer deny coverage to children due to a pre-existing condition