Some of the big insurance companies have declared that they will continue to offer the benefits set forth in the Affordable Care Act, even if the Supreme Court declares the ACA unconstitutional. It sounds like the insurers are being helpful. In reality, if the ACA goes down, there isn’t anything that would force them to live up to those big promises.
Recently, UnitedHealth Group announced that it was intending to continue to offer certain parts of the protections that were created as part of the Affordable Care Act, even if the Supreme Court kills the ACA. A few more insurers, like Aetna and Humana, have made similar announcements.
This all sounds great, at first glance. The announcements make it sound as though these big insurers “have your back”. Their announcements make it sound as though you won’t have to worry about losing the protections that were created as part of the ACA, no matter what the Supreme Court decides. These insurance companies are going to voluntarily keep offering at least some of the benefits.
In reality, all these wonderful sounding words could be little more than a Public Relations game that these insurance companies are playing. Promising that they aren’t going to instantly make changes to drop everything that the ACA required them to do the instant they are allowed to certainly makes them look good to consumers. There is the potential that a person who, right now, is seeking health insurance coverage might choose one of these insurers based on this PR stunt.
A group called Health Care For America Now points out what the insurance companies are not saying.
“What the insurance companies didn’t say — and what they won’t do – is the real story. They aren’t saying they will stop discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions as the law requires beginning in 2014. That would be a big deal, because that part of the law will stop 129 million people with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma from being overcharged or being denied coverage. They also have not offered to keep covering children with pre-existing conditions — a provision which has already taken effect and insurers have fought.”
If the Affordable Care Act disappears, there won’t be any laws that require insurers to provide the protections that consumers are currently receiving. In other words, if you get sick, and your insurer drops you as a result, there won’t be anything you can do about it. The exception to this would be if you happen to live in a state that has created state laws that mimic the protections provided by the ACA.
Image by Hugo-photography on Flickr