Last updated on: 6/10/2015 | Author: ProCon.org

Yes and No Answers to What Obamacare Does and Does Not Do

 

To help you sift through the bias and noise about some of the things that the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) does and does not do, we list simple yes or no answers to 44 questions about Obamacare. You can click on a question to read a related passage from the Affordable Care Act along with an explanatory quote or two for additional clarification.

To read pros and cons for the many debated issues over Obamacare, such as its impact on emergency rooms, the economy, insurance premiums, abortion, quality of health care, Medicare, prescription drugs, and much more, please visit healthcarereform.procon.org.

Birth Control

  1. Does Obamacare Require Health Insurers to Cover Birth Control? – YES
  2. Are There Any Exemptions to the Obamacare Requirement That Health Insurance Policies Cover Birth Control? – YES

Congress

  1. Are Members of Congress and Their Personal Staffs Required to Purchase Their Health Insurance Plans through the Obamacare Health Insurance Exchanges? – YES

Costs

  1. Are There Penalties for Businesses with Fewer than 50 Employees That Do Not Provide Insurance for Their Employees? – NO
  2. Are There Penalties for Businesses with 50 or More Employees That Do Not Provide Insurance for Their Employees? – YES
  3. Does Obamacare Place Limits on Co-Payments and Deductibles? – YES
  4. Does Obamacare Provide Tax Credits to Help Some People Purchase Health Insurance on the Exchanges? – YES

Employers

  1. Does Obamacare Provide Any Funding for Workplace Health Programs? – YES

Health Insurance Exchanges

  1. Is Long Term Insurance Offered in Health Insurance Exchanges? – NO

Home Care

  1. Does Obamacare Provide Any Funding for Training Additional “at Home” Care Professionals? – YES

Medicare / Medicaid

  1. Does Obamacare Close the “Doughnut Hole” in Medicare’s Prescription Drug Coverage [Medicare Part D]? – YES
  2. Are More People Eligible for Medicaid Under Obamacare? – YES
  3. Under Obamacare, Does Medicare Reduce Reimbursements to Hospitals with High 30-Day Readmission Rates? – YES
  4. Does Obamacare Require Payment Cuts to Medicare Advantage Plans (Medicare Part C)? – YES

Health Insurance Mandate

  1. Are There Any Exemptions to the Mandatory Health Insurance Requirement? – YES
  2. Under the Obamacare Mandatory Health Insurance Requirement, Are There Penalties for Most Individuals Who Do Not Obtain Health Insurance? – YES

Insurance Coverage

  1. Does Obamacare Cover People with Pre-Existing Conditions? – YES
  2. Under Obamacare, Can Insurance Companies Cancel Coverage If a Person Gets Sick? – NO
  3. Can Children up to Age 26 Remain on Their Parent’s Health Insurance? – YES
  4. Does Obamacare Require That Retiree Health Plans Cover Children up to Age 26? – NO
  5. Does Obamacare Eliminate Lifetime or Annual Limits on Insurance Coverage? – YES
  6. Does Obamacare Require Coverage for Treatment of Mental Illness? – YES
  7. Does Obamacare Require Coverage for Substance Abuse? – YES
  8. Does Obamacare Require Dental Coverage for Children? – YES
  9. Does Obamacare Require Dental Coverage for Adults? – NO
  10. Are Individuals Currently Covered by Veterans’ Health Benefits Considered Covered under Obamacare? – YES
  11. Does Obamacare Require Insurance Plans to Have a Minimum Basic Coverage Level? – YES
  12. Does Obamacare Require Health Insurers to Present Health Insurance Information in Clear and Easily Understandable Terms? – YES<
  13. Does Obamacare Apply to Health Plans Offered by Colleges and Universities? – YES
  14. Does Obamacare Allow Individuals to Appeal Medical Service Denials? – YES
  15. Does Obamacare Allow Health Insurance Plans to Cover Alternative Medicine? – YES
  16. Has Obamacare Resulted in More People Overall with Health Insurance (Including Medicaid Recipients)? – YES
  17. Did Obamacare Allow Everyone to Keep Their Insurance Coverage? – NO

Insurance Industry

  1. Does Obamacare Restrict Insurance Companies’ Profits? – YES
  2. Under Obamacare, Are Insurance Companies Still Exempt from Federal Antitrust Laws? – YES

Physicians

  1. Does Obamacare Make Any Changes to Physician Payments through Medicare/Medicaid? – YES

Prevention / Wellness

  1. Is Certain Free Preventive Care Required under Obamacare? – YES

Second Amendment

  1. Does Obamacare Contain Provisions Related to the Second Amendment and Gun Ownership? – YES

Single Payer Health Care

  1. Can States Set up Their Own Single Payer Systems under Obamacare? – YES

Taxes

  1. Does Obamacare Raise Any Federal Taxes? – YES
  2. Does Obamacare Contain a New Tax on “Unearned Income,” Including Some Real Estate Sales, for Individuals with an Adjusted Gross Income of $200,000 or More? – YES

Tort Reform / Medical Malpractice

  1. Did Obamacare Change Medical Malpractice (Tort Reform) Law? – NO
  2. Did Obamacare Contain Provisions to Reduce Health Care Fraud? – YES

Undocumented Immigrants

  1. Are Undocumented Immigrants Allowed to Purchase Health Insurance through the Obamacare Health Exchanges? – NO