Insurance Regulation Changes That May Affect You

Today, rates, benefits and coverage limits can vary considerably from one health insurance policy to another and can be changed without warning. This is one of the many factors that have contributed to higher health care costs. Many people also are denied insurance coverage or can't afford it because they have certain conditions or traits that affect their ability to get insurance.

As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), approved by Congress and signed into law in 2010, insurers receiving federal money will not be able to discriminate based on race, national origin, gender, age or disability. This applies to programs such as the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans.

Also under ACA, insurers will not be able to charge women more simply because of their gender, health status or history. This provision of health care reform, which will become effective in 2014, will end what many view as a predatory practice by insurance companies who charged women higher prices for insurance or denied coverage because women can get breast cancer, have cesarean sections or suffer from chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Women tend to suffer more from chronic conditions because they live longer. Before passage of health care reform, only 10 states considered the practice known as gender rating illegal.