According to researchers, there are higher rates of disability, mortality and chronic disease in rural areas. For that reason, the Affordable Health Care Act will transform the insurance industry to improve the health of rural Americans.
Health Insurance Marketplace and rural coverage
At the beginning of 2014, almost 8 million rural Americans under age 65 got new opportunities to get affordable health care through the Affordable Care Act. Just think of the numbers:
• Almost 20% of uninsured Americans live in rural areas
• The vast majority of rural Americans lack proper health care compared to urban Americans
• Rural Americans usually have lower income level, thus subsidized insurance coverage through Marketplaces is necessary
• the Health Insurance Marketplaces should increase competition in rural areas - especially in those states where one insurance company dominates more than a half of the insurance market
• Residents of those states that are expanding Medicaid will get affordable coverage
The Marketplace will lower costs due to increased competition. It will influence rural areas the most, since at least one out of every five residents there faces medical debts and families have to cover almost 50% of the health care payments out-of-pocket.
The Affordable Care Act for Rural Americans
Uninsured Americans from rural areas can use the Marketplace to compare different insurances based on benefits, quality, price, and other factors knowing all premiums and cost-sharing amounts, which should help them pick the perfect health insurance plan that will fit their needs. Each insurance plan should at least cover all essential health benefits, such as emergency and inpatient services, prescription of drugs, behavioral health treatment, and pediatric care.
New coverage options with insurance benefits are already there for rural Americans:
• More than 30 million Americans now can expand preventive services without cost sharing. Among these services, there are blood pressure screenings, well-child visits, mammograms and pap tests for women and flu shots for adults and children
• Over 11 million disabled rural Americas who get coverage from Medicare now also can access different preventive services without cost sharing, such as colorectal cancer and diabetes screening, prevention plans, bone mass measurements, and many others
• More than 600,000 rural Americans below 26 now are covered under individually purchased plans or their parent's employer-sponsored plan
• Private insurance policies can't have lifetime limits anymore, and annual limits should be more than $2,000,000.
• Americans under age 19 cannot be denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition
Insurances won't have to be cheap, but they certainly will be less expensive and you don't have to pay unexpected costs out of the pocket as if you did without insurance. There are also tax breaks for families with low incomes, which help pay for their insurance.
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