INSURANCE MARKET REFORM
• ...bar insurers from excluding people for pre-existing conditions and prevent them from arbitrarily dropping policy holders.
• Insurance exchanges would be created where small businesses and individuals without employer-sponsored coverage would be able to shop for coverage. Plans offered on the exchange would have to meet minimum benefit requirements.
• ...allow dependent children to remain on their parents' health policies until age 26.
• ...requires insurers to spend at least 85 cents of every premium dollar on medical care in small group markets and 80 cents in large group markets.
• ...require Medicare Advantage insurers to spend at least 85 percent of revenues on medical care.
COVERAGE MANDATES, SUBSIDIES AND MEDICAID
• Individuals would be required to obtain health insurance. Those who fail to purchase coverage would face fines of up to 2.5 percent of income by 2016.
• Firms with more than 50 workers who do not offer medical coverage could face fines of $2,000 per full-time employee.
• Federal subsidies would be provided to help people (with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty level) purchase coverage on the exchange...
• Medicaid, the government healthcare program for the poor, would be available to everyone with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty level, which stood at $10,830 for an individual and $22,050, for a family of four. Many states have eligibility requirements below those levels.
• The proposed changes would get rid of a special deal to help Nebraska pay for the expanded coverage and boost aid to all states. (ed. I don't know what this one is about exactly)
FINANCING
• 40 percent excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans.
• delay implementation of the tax until 2018 instead of 2013.
• The tax would kick in on plans costing $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for family coverage.
• A higher threshold is allowed for plans covering mostly women, older workers and retirees as well as those in high-risk professions.
• raises payroll taxes for Medicare to 2.35 percent from the current 1.45 percent for individuals earning $200,000 or more and for couples earning $250,000 or more.
• imposes fees on medical device manufacturers, insurance providers and brand name pharmaceuticals. The proposed changes would delay implementation of those fees.
MEDICARE
• freezes payments to insurers that provide coverage to Medicare patients in 2011 and begin reducing the subsidy in 2012.
• gradually closes the gap in drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries by 2020.
• Those who enter the coverage gap, the so-called doughnut hole, in 2010 will get a $250 rebate.
• In 2011 they would get a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs.