Health Care Reform: How Does it Affect People with Diabetes?

Insurance companies will be under government regulations, coverage can't be denied based on pre-existing conditions.

According to this New York Times editorial, "The biggest difference for Americans who have employer-based insurance is the security of knowing that, starting in 2014, if they lose their job and have to buy their own policy, they cannot be denied coverage or charged high rates because of pre-existing conditions. Before then, the chronically ill could gain temporary coverage from enhanced high-risk pools and chronically ill children are guaranteed coverage."  

There are options for people with diabetes.  Now pre-existing conditions can't be denied.  Reuters reports that  "Uninsured adults with a pre-existing condition will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014."  This is in addition to insurers being "barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions." 

Newsweek sheds a little more light on this, stating, "Insurers who offer plans on an insurance exchange will be prohibited from rejecting customers with preexisting conditions or charging them higher rates. But the exchanges won't be mandatory until 2014. In the meantime, people with preexisting conditions will be permitted to enter a 'high-risk pool,' which offers caps on premiums and out-of-pocket spending. Still, there's a catch: only people who have been without coverage for six months are eligible. The rule is designed to stop people from arbitrarily switching from their private insurance plans to the cheaper -- but taxpayer subsidized -- pools. But it means that people who lose their jobs can remain uninsured for a full six months." 

Now, those people with diabetes hopefully will not have to stay in jobs they dislike.