Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, is a law passed in 2010 that reformed America’s health system to improve access and affordability for more Americans.

ACA gives people more choices when choosing health coverage. The law also means people can get coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions or current health status. Depending on your income, family size and the health plan you’re interested in, you might qualify for reduced costs on your monthly premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs.  

Five things to know about ACA:

• Pre-existing conditions. You can get health insurance coverage, even with a pre-existing condition, and you won’t pay more to have pre-existing medical conditions covered.
      
• Essential Health Benefits. Benefits that are considered to be essential to good health are now covered by major medical insurance plans. Some of these include:
  
  • Emergency services
  • Prescription drugs
  • Hospitalization
  • Rehabilitative services
  • Ambulatory services
  • Laboratory services
  • Mental health/substance abuse
  • Preventive/wellness services and chronic disease management
  • Pediatric services
        
• Premium tax credits. Also called a “health insurance subsidy,” a premium tax credit provides financial assistance to help those who qualify pay for health insurance.
     
• Preventive services.  With ACA, most preventive services are fully paid by your premium – like certain screenings to check for conditions such as diabetes or mammograms for early cancer detection. As long as you visit a doctor in your health plan’s provider network, you won’t have a co-pay, coinsurance or deductibles for your annual wellness exams or immunizations.
      
• Emergency access. The health care law ensures that you can seek emergency care at any hospital without prior approval from your health plan. The hospital does not have to be in your plan’s network of covered providers.

Open Enrollment for 2019 coverage opens on Nov. 1.  

We hope this helps! Do you feel more knowledgeable about ACA? Let us know in the comments!

If you any questions or would like to enroll in a BCBSIL plan by phone call 877-731-4649. We’re here to help!

Last Updated: 10/2/2018