Early Healthcare Benefits Enjoyed By The 36.8 Million Californians in 2010 and 2011

Consumers will no longer have lifetime limits on their medical insurance benefits. Annual limit use will be altered and insurance companies will not be allowed to drop insurance coverage arbitrarily.

There will be options available to those ineligible for health insurance benefits. Presently there are 9% of Californians with Diabetes and 25% with high blood pressure who struggle to get health insurance. Insurers often deny healthcare benefits for these two groups. A high-risk pool established by the reform bill will give such people health insurance options.

Free preventative services will be available. Of the preventative tests that have been neglected, 40% of Californians have not undergone a colorectal screening for cancer and 17% of women aged 50 and above have neglected to get a mammogram for the past two years. Prevention and public health will be encouraged through funds invested for these purposes.

Health insurance coverage for those who retire early will be supported. Even though 482,000 early retirees have special coverage through their employers, such coverage is becoming rarer. The new system would offer reinsurance to help stabilize the coverage and help lower premiums for existing employees and the early retirees. It could make as much as $1200 difference in premiums for families.