Poll: Americans Unsure on When Major Details of Overhaul Take Effect
Most U.S. residents remain unsure about when some of the major provisions in the federal health reform law will take effect, according to a new National Association of Insurance Commissioners poll scheduled to be released Monday, Reuters reports.
For the survey, NAIC researchers polled 1,000 adults by phone between Aug. 12 and Aug. 15.
The results showed that only 14% of respondents knew that some of the overhaul's provisions take effect Sept. 23, including those that allow adult children to remain on their parents' insurance plans until age 26 and that bar insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions.
In addition, more than half of respondents believed that all employers are required by the law to provide health insurance to workers. The overhaul actually exempts some small businesses from that provision.
The survey also showed that approximately half of participants mistakenly believed that insurers are required to cover preventive health services at no cost to patients beginning this month. The reform law requires only certain preventive services to be covered.
Reasons
According to Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, many individuals likely do not know about the upcoming changes because they have not yet been directly affected by the law.
Praeger said more people likely will become aware of the law's provisions when open enrollment season begins and individuals choose their health plans for next year. "They'll know about it soon because there will be more information going out," she said (Heavey, Reuters, 9/9).
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