Texas Voice for Health Reform Update | May 21, 2010

In this issue…

Action

• Be the Face of Health Reform
• Texas Voice for Health Reform is hitting the road

Update on Health Reform Implementation

• Young adults can now stay on parents’ plan until age 26
• Consumer principles and recommendations on health reform implementation
• CPPP Comments on two new accountability measures in health care law

Resources

• StateHealthFacts.org goes mobile
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ new series on health reform

ACTION

Be a Face of Health Reform

This September, many key provisions from the historic health reform law will take effect. That means people who have insurance cannot be dropped because they got sick and young adults can stay on their parent’s insurance until they turn 26.

But between now and late September, millions of people will remain vulnerable. Fortunately, a handful of insurance companies have decided to do the right thing, voluntarily implementing key provisions of the bill before the mandatory deadline.

To say thanks, we’re collecting photos for a mosaic of people helped by health reform. Our mosaic will show these companies who they’re helping and encourage other companies to follow their lead. Add your photo and help us show the insurance industry the Faces of Health Reform.

Implementation Road Show

Texas Voice for Health Reform is hitting the road to educate Texans about health reform implementation.  As we confirm events we will update our online calendar with all the details.  Look for the events in blue!  If you don’t see an event in your area and would like to host one, please contact Dunkelberg@cppp.org!

Confirmed events:

• May 22nd: Fort Worth
• May 27th: Austin
• June 12th: Houston
• June 14th: Dallas
• June 28th: San Antonio
• June 30th: Austin

UPDATE ON HEALTH REFORM IMPLEMENTATION

As of  September 23, 2010, the health reform law allows young adults to stay on their parent’s health insurance until their 26th birthday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released this fact sheet which explains how the new coverage opportunity works.  It also lists the insurance companies that have agreed voluntarily to extend coverage to young adults before the September 23rd deadline.

A group of consumer advocates currently serving as consumer representatives to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners released a report with consumer principles and recommendations related to the initial phase of implementation of the health reform law. Issues covered in the report include rate review, grandfathered plans, the prohibition on denials of children for pre-existing conditions, and more.

The federal health reform law establishes new accountability measures for unreasonable health insurance premium increases and “medical loss ratios”—a measure of how insurers spend premium dollars. CPPP recently submitted public comments to a request for information from federal agencies developing health reform regulations on these topics. The center has done research on rate review and medical loss ratios in Texas, and submitted comments to the federal agencies encouraging strong standards that benefit consumers.

RESOURCES
Statehealthfacts.org Goes Mobile

Statehealthfacts.org is now optimized for use on your mobile device. Now, when you are on the road or in a meeting and need to know how many Texas residents are uninsured, or how many children are covered through Medicaid, just go to www.statehealthfacts.org on your mobile device and easily find the answer. Data for more than 700 indicators are accessible on the mobile site.

Moving Forward with Health Reform

Our national partner, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, has released an excellent series of two-page briefs, Moving Forward With Health Reform, that set the record straight on some of the key points about the new law.

Pieces in the series explain:

• why health reform is a good deal for the states
• why an individual mandate is necessary for the law’s key insurance market reforms to work
• the law’s voluntary new long-term health care insurance program, and
• how health reform will affect employers.

They are all available on the CBPP health reform page