Affordable Care Act and People with Disabilities
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This article provides information on the Affordable Care Act for people with disabilities. This article is adapted from a fact sheet by Disability Rights Texas.
- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a significant overhaul of the healthcare system in the United States.
- The goal of the ACA is to reduce the number of uninsured Americans and improve the quality of healthcare.
- Through the law, health insurance marketplaces have been created across the country to provide affordable coverage to those who need or want it, and who are eligible.
- Insurers cannot deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
- It prohibits health plans from putting annual and lifetime limits on most benefits.
- Through the law, health insurance marketplaces have been created across the country to provide affordable coverage to those who need or want it, and who are eligible.
- All plans in the ACA Marketplace and all other "non-grandfathered plans" will have a cap on what insurance companies can require beneficiaries to pay in out-of-pocket expenses such as co-pays and deductibles.
- The ACA requires free preventative care such as wellness services and screenings.
- Free prevention and wellness services and screenings will also be available for individuals on Medicare.
- It requires the development of federal standards for accessible medical exam and diagnostic equipment.
- It requires that all plans provide certain essential health benefits (EHBs). These are: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment services and drug treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventative and wellness services and chronic disease management; and pediatric services including dental and vision care.
For more information from this article by Disability Rights Texas:
If you have questions about the Health Insurance Marketplace, visit https://www.healthcare.gov or, for Spanish, https://www.cuidadodesalud.gov/es/. You can also call (800) 318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users should call (855) 889-4325. Online chat is also available 24/7.
For local help, https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/ allows consumers to search by city, state, or zip code to see a list of all local organizations certified to assist individuals with marketplace questions and enrollment.