Short-Term Health Plans

We are continuing our advocacy blog series meant to help youtake carewhen it comes to important arthritis health care and coverage issues. If you’re now just tuning into this series, check out previous advocacy blog postshere. Our lasttake careblog kicked off a focus on health insurance benefits andopen enrollment. Today we explore short-term health plans, a type of insurance that has been on the market for some time but is receiving attention due to new actions taken by the administration. Read on to learn about these plans and why they are an unsatisfactory option for people with arthritis.

什么是短期健康计划?

Short-term health plans are not new. As the name suggests, these plans are meant to fill in temporary gaps in health coverage. For example, if an individual is in between jobs or needs coverage outside of the traditional open enrollment period, short-term plans are available to purchase for up to three months from insurers and brokers.

Why are short-term plans in the news?

Earlier this month, the federal Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services finalized a regulation that loosens and expands the availability of short-term plans. Despiteover 98 percentof health care stakeholders strongly opposing this action, the administration decided to move forward with its proposal.

What is changing with short-term health plans?

Beginning in October, the new regulation permits short-term plans to be sold for 12 months and renewed by an individual for up to 3 years. This is a change from current rules, which do not allow short-term plans to be a substitute for comprehensive coverage. Today, they are limited to a duration of 3 months and are not renewable health policies.

Are short-term health plans different than individual market health plans?

Yes, short-term health plans are separate from plans offered on the health insurance exchanges because they do not need to comply with important patient protections enacted under the Affordable Care Act. You will not find these plans onhealthcare.gov, for example. Since short-term plans are not considered comprehensive coverage, the new regulation means insurers and brokers can more widely sell short-term plans that:

• Deny enrollment based on age, gender, health status, or other factors that might suggest an individual’s future use of health care services
• Exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions
• Exclude any or all of the essential health benefits like prescription drug coverage, emergency care, or other provider services
• Apply annual or lifetime dollar limits on coverage
• Increase patient out-of-pocket maximums above limits imposed by current law
• Impose more stringent network adequacy requirements

What kind of issues would someone with arthritis face if they enrolled in a short-term health plan?

短期计划对关节炎患者并不理想，因为他们可以拒绝为已有疾病的人提供保险。这些计划也有医疗保险，这意味着你会被要求填写病史;反过来，这被用来批准或拒绝你的注册。《平价医疗法案》(Affordable Care Act)禁止个人市场上提供的医保计划出现这种行为。然而，由于短期计划不被认为是全面的健康保险，他们不需要遵守这一规则。

Do short-term policies need to disclose anything specific to consumers?

Yes, they must include clear language stating these plans may not work best for people with pre-existing conditions like arthritis. Be on the lookout for disclosure language that:

• Urges you to carefully check the policy for exclusions or limitations regarding coverage of pre-existing conditions, or specific health benefits like prescription drugs
• Warns a loss of short-term plan coverage means you may have to wait until the next open enrollment period before enrolling in health insurance again

对于任何健康计划，仔细审查条款和条件，了解福利范围和潜在的自付费用总是好的做法。

在开放登记期间，关于短期健康计划还有什么需要我注意的吗?

Short-term health plans often misrepresent health coverage and benefits; these plans also have a history of fraud. In addition, you should know that since these health plans are temporary and do not offer comprehensive coverage, premiums are significantly cheaper than insurance found onhealthcare.gov. While lower premiums might sound attractive, if you are unexpectedly diagnosed with a chronic disease like arthritis, your plan may not offer coverage for services like prescription drugs or emergency room visits to help you manage your health – and failure to disclose a medical condition up front could also result in an insurer rescinding the insurance policy, leaving you without any health care coverage at all.

What resources are available from the Arthritis Foundation?

In the coming months the Arthritis Foundation will be raising awareness about the open enrollment period, but you can get started with ourYour Coverage, Your Care toolkit. It’s a great resource to help you understand your insurance options, the claims process, and tips to overcome barriers. Additionally, if you have any questions about your health care, we have licensed clinical social workers on staff that can talk with you 24 hours a day for your convenience. You can reach the Arthritis Foundation Helpline at 1-844-HELP (4357).

If you’d like to stay informed of federal and state-based health care issues, considersigning up to be an Advocate. Becoming a part of our Advocacy grassroots network is an easy way to get involved and stay informed.

Related Resources:

• Read More Posts from the Take Care Series
• Get Involved! Sign Up to Be an Advocate
• Read About Your Health & New State Laws