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(Image source: The White House / Chuck Kennedy)
BY ZACH TOOMBS
Like it or not, the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is the law of the land this week.
And there are at least five things you should know as the new program rolls out.
For one, a key part of the law starts Tuesday even with a government shutdown. And a lot
of people aren't aware of that.
Obamacare opens new marketplaces — also called state-based exchanges — for buying
health insurance Oct. 1. But two-thirds of the public and 75 percent of the uninsured
had no idea in a mid-September survey. (Via CNN)
A writer for The Washington Post says those stats are either "a disaster: The White House
has had more than three years now to talk about the Affordable Care Act," or they're
just because, "marketplace directors ... say they're holding their advertising fire" until
enrollment is actually an option.
Certainly, Americans will have a lot of time to act. That first enrollment period is open
from October all the way until March 31, 2014. And those plans will only kick in Jan. 1 at
the earliest.
Two: Who's eligible? Anyone without affordable health insurance through work or from Medicare
or Medicaid can apply for health insurance through those new marketplaces.
The Census Bureau found 48 million Americans lacked health insurance last year — almost
all of them will need to sign up for a new Obamacare plan.
Also affected right away: the 15 million people who buy insurance on their own, not through
their job, and workers whose job-based insurance just isn't affordable. If their own health
coverage costs more than 9.5 percent of their income, it's classified as not affordable.
(Via CBS, Yahoo!)
Now, if you're one of the 60 percent of Americans who gets affordable insurance through work,
that Oct. 1 date probably won't affect you.
But for people with pre-existing conditions, Oct. 1 means a lot. Out of those 48 million
people without health insurance, many can't afford a plan because they have a pre-existing
condition, even something as simple as weight problems.
Giving those people a chance to buy coverage is a big part of Obamacare. The law will not
allow insurance companies to refuse coverage or hike up rates because of pre-existing conditions.
(Via The Miami Herald)
Four, the individual mandate. You've probably heard of this before. With exceptions for
the very poor, the mandate will force every American to have health insurance or pay a
penalty fee in 2014.
Getting more people to buy health insurance is meant to cover the cost of insuring people
with those pre-existing conditions — who would normally have to pay a lot more. This
is a major part of Obamacare. (Via SEIU, The White House)
And finally, how to get started buying your own health insurance through the Affordable
Care Act. That one's pretty simple — and it starts online at healthcare.gov.
The new program's web page is open for business Tuesday, guiding health insurance shoppers
through various gold, silver, bronze and platinum plans — with much more information than
we could hope to fit in this video.