Health Insurance for Texas: Who Will Get Help In September?

become 26. It doesn’t matter whether the kids are married or whether their parents’ have individual health insurance, new employer plans or existing employer plans.

It also will not matter if children under the age of 19 have any known health problems. As of September 23, all health insurance plans in Texas, whether the policies are new or old, will no longer be allowed to deny health insurance to sick children under the age of 19.

How Does Healthcare Reform Aid Adults?

It establishes an insurance pool, the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan or PCIP, for adults with known health problems who do not have health insurance. This pool is designed to help uninsured adults get insurance at premium rates that are same as the standard market rates. That can end discrimination against those who are sick, and it means no more high premiums when you need medical care the most. Texas also has a state high-risk pool so if you are in that pool, you cannot transfer to the federal pool.

Does your health insurance limit your lifetime benefits? That, too, will change on September 23. Insurers will no longer be permitted to limit lifetime benefits that are defined to be “essential health benefits,” such as ambulance service and hospitalization. More services may be added to the classification of essential benefits because the details are still being discussed. No new Texas health insurance plans may be issued after September 23 with either annual or lifetime limits