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Individual/Family Health

How Does Health Care Reform Impact HDHPs and HSAs?

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Will HSA qualified health insurance plans and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) still exist after the majority of the remaining PPACA changes are implemented in 2014?  That’s a question that we often hear from Colorado health insurance clients who are concerned about their existing HSA qualified high deductible health plan (HDHP)/HSA, as well as people who are considering an HDHP but uncertain about the future of that type of health insurance.

In terms of direct impact, the PPACA changes very little about HDHPs and HSAs.  There are only two […]

Colorado Kaiser Permanente Recognized By HHS For Hypertension Control

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Nationally, more than half of hypertension cases are not under control (36 million uncontrolled cases out of 67 million total cases).  In 2008, Kaiser Permanente members in Colorado had a 61% control rate, and that number has climbed to 82.6% thanks to an intensive effort on the part of Kaiser Permanente to continually work with patients to control hypertension.  Sebelius said that Kaiser Permanente’s efforts have proven that “… by making high blood pressure[…]

More About Colorado’s Kaiser Permanente Benchmark Health Insurance Plan

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Yesterday’s article about Colorado selecting a benchmark health insurance plan for individual and small group policies sold starting in 2014 has raised a few more questions and I wanted to clarify some details.

This publication from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the Health Benefit Exchange and the Governor’s office is an excellent resource and answers a lot of frequently asked questions.  It was released earlier this summer, before the Kaiser small group plan was selected, so it includes details about all nine options that were considered as possible benchmark plans.  The Kaiser small group plan that was ultimately picked as the benchmark is listed on page 11 as option A, under “one of the three largest small group plans in the state”.

The 2011 Colorado health insurance plan description for the Kaiser policy is here if you’re interested in the plan specifics.  We had a question from a reader who wondered whether chiropractic care would be covered, but it’s listed as “not covered” on the plan description form (item number 30).  It’s important to note that cost sharing details like deductible, coinsurance and copays are not part of the benchmark program.  The concept of benchmark here only applies to the benefits provided by the Kaiser Permanente health insurance plan.  The deductible on the Kaiser health insurance plan is $1200, but that DOES NOT mean that all policies will have to have a $1200 deductible in 2014.  In order to be sold in the exchanges, health insurance plans will have to cover at least 60% of costs in order to qualify for a “bronze” designation.  And there will also be silver, gold and platinum ratings, so there will still be plenty of variation in terms of cost sharing.

If Colorado had not selected a benchmark plan, HHS would have picked one for us.  HHS would have […]

Most Colorado Residents Have Health Insurance

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This article about the state of healthcare and health insurance in Colorado is an interesting one, and it provides plenty of good, factual information.  However, I was a bit perplexed by a quote from Dr. Ned Calonge, president and CEO of The Colorado Trust, who says “We’re reaching a tipping point where there will be more people who are uninsured than are insured.”  This comes after some statistics that highlighted the decline in the number of Colorado residents who get health insurance from their employers:  currently 57.8% of employers, compared with 63.7% two years ago.

I’m not really clear about the meaning of Dr. Calonge’s quote about a “tipping point”.  I am not in any way minimizing the importance of increasing the number of people in Colorado who have health insurance and improving access to healthcare for everyone.  Those are certainly the goals we should be working towards.  But we are in no way close to a point where Colorado will have more uninsured people than insured people.  The state currently has a population of 5.1 million people.  Although the number of uninsured people in Colorado is quite high (829,000), it’s nowhere near half of the population.  We are not close to having more uninsured people than insured people.

I wonder if the distinction was regarding the number of people who get their health insurance from an employer?  If the current trends continue, we could indeed see a point in the near future when the number of people who get their health insurance from an employer will be lower than the number who don’t.  But it’s important to keep in mind that the people who don’t get health insurance from an employer are not necessarily uninsured.  In fact, most of them have health insurance.  Some get it from the government (eg. Medicare, Medicaid, CHP+) and some purchase individual policies.  The article I linked to above includes a graph that shows where people in Colorado get their health insurance, and although it’s true that the percentage of uninsured residents increased while the percentage of people who get their health insurance from an employer decreased, we should also note that the percentage of people with individual health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid all increased in that same time frame (2009 to 2011).

So although Colorado has a long way to go in terms of getting everyone in the state insured, we’re not close to a point where the uninsureds outnumber the insureds.

I Thought Insurance Companies Couldn’t Decline Due To Pre-Existing Health Conditions Anymore?

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One of the most common questions lately: I was declined for health insurance due to a pre-existing health condition. I thought insurance companies couldn’t look at our pre-existing health conditions anymore because of [the PPACA] ObamaCare?”

I’ve written a quick (yet detailed) answer to the question: “I thought they couldn’t decline people because of pre-existing health conditions” here.

Will Tax Credits Be Available In Federally-Run Exchanges?

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[…] Both arguments are interesting, and very convincing. I read Jost’s first, and found myself nodding in agreement all the way through. But then when I read Cannon and Adler’s response, I also found their points to be compelling and hard to refute. This could be the sort of issue that many people would see as splitting hairs, but on an issue as contentious as the PPACA, I can see this debate getting quite a bit of traction over the next year as the exchange implementation process churns along. And it makes me glad that Colorado took the initiative early on (despite a lot of political wrangling) to begin the process of creating our own exchange. I know there are many flaws in the PPACA, and that the yet-unanswered question about how the exchanges will be funded starting in 2015 is a valid concern. But it still seems like a better solution than sitting back and waiting for the federal government to set up an exchange for us that 1) would not be tailored to our state’s specific needs and 2) might make Colorado residents ineligible for much-needed tax credits to help pay for health insurance.

5280 Magazine Needs Denver Area Self-Employed for Health Insurance Article

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Are you a Denver area resident who’s self-employed and had to navigate getting individual health insurance? Or do you fall somewhere in this description—“the self-employed, freelancers or ‘accidental entrepreneurs’ who started their own business or began doing freelance/contract work after being laid off from full-time positions during the economic turmoil of recent years”?

I’m writing a short article for 5280 magazine and would like to talk to about your experience. I would ask a few questions and potentially use a few short quotes. It should take about 10-15 minutes. I would be glad to speak at your convenience, but it will need to be during the week of July 30. You may contact me at [email protected] or 719-649-3634.

Hospital Bills Waived For Many Aurora Shooting Victims. But What About Victims Of Less-Publicized Violence?

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The tragic shooting at a movie theater in Aurora last week has horrified all of us in Colorado and across the country.  In addition to the 12 people who were killed, 58 more were shot and have required medical care that ranged from relatively minor to very major.  And while we don’t know the health insurance status of the victims (to my knowledge that information hasn’t been released), we do know that The Dark Knight’s audience included a large number of young adults, which is the population most likely to be uninsured in Colorado.

Five years ago, when the Lewin Group was preparing data for the Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission, they found that 38.7% of 19 – 24 year olds in Colorado were uninsured, as were 27.1% of 25 – 34 year olds (see the graph on page 6).  Those two age groups were significantly more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.  More recent data from the Colorado Health Institute found that 27.7% of 19 – 34 year olds in Colorado had no health insurance in 2011, up from 22.7% in 2009 (the increase comes despite the fact that starting in 2010 the PPACA allowed young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance policies up to age 26).  As with the earlier Lewin Group study, that age group is far more likely to be uninsured than any other age group in Colorado.

So now the 58 surviving victims of the theater massacre will need medical care that ranges from relatively minor to very major.  Some have already been discharged from the hospital, while others will likely remain there for a while.  Three of the five hospitals in the Denver metro area that are treating the shooting victims have agreed to waive most or all of the hospital bills incurred by the victims.  The other two hospitals – University of Colorado Hospital and Denver Health – haven’t said what their specific policy will be with regards to medical bills for the shooting victims in their care, but those are Colorado’s top two safety net hospitals and they provide hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free care to uninsured patients each year.

It’s reassuring to know that the theater shooting victims – quite a few of whom likely have no health insurance – will have at least some help with their immediate hospital bills.  What’s less clear is the financial implications for the more gravely injured victims as they move forward with their treatment after being discharged from the hospital.  Physical and occupational therapy, outpatient follow ups, mental health treatment to cope with the trauma – these expensive services are likely to be a big part of some of the victims’ lives for the foreseeable future.  Individual health insurance is still medically underwritten (until January 2014), so it would be difficult or impossible for uninsured victims to obtain health insurance now to cover future medical bills related to the shooting (CoverColorado and GettingUSCovered – the state’s high risk pools – are an option available to people with pre-existing conditions).  They may be able to obtain health insurance through an employer group plan, but the ones who are uninsured likely didn’t […]

FEHB Health Insurance Now Available For Seasonal Firefighters

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[…] The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a ruling yesterday – effective immediately – that grants seasonal firefighters access to health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB), which allows federal employees to select from among several private health insurance policies. Normally, eligibility for FEHB requires an employee to have completed a full year of service. This is not possible for seasonal firefighters, since they are employed for temporary positions during the fire season, usually for only six months at a time. So until OPM issued the new rules, seasonal firefighters were never eligible for health insurance through FEHB. Their only real options were to obtain health insurance as a dependent on a spouse’s plan, or to apply for coverage in the individual market – which is subject to underwriting (and some individual carriers won’t accept applicants who have high risk jobs).
[…]

160th Cavalcade Of Risk – Colorado Wildfire Season Edition

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The news in Colorado for the past few weeks has been dominated by stories of wildfires, and there seems to be a new one every few days.  Watching footage of houses burning and courageous firefighters battling the blazes definitely brings to mind all sorts of risk-related thoughts.  We send our best wishes to everyone living in the areas that have been hit by the recent fires, and hopefully Colorado will get some good rain very soon. We’re very thankful for the firefighters and we’ve mixed in historic images of heroic firefighters from the past.

firefighters With that in mind, welcome to the 160th Cavalcade of Risk.  We’ve been participating in the Cavalcade for nearly six years, and we’re always honored to get the privilege of hosting.  The Cav is all about risk, and with that in mind I wanted to share one of the best articles I’ve seen in a long time on the topic of risk.  Mr. Money Mustache lives just down the road from us, in Longmont.  He’s got quite a way with words, and his blog is both informative and entertaining.  This article that he wrote about the illusion of safety is a must-read.

Jason Shafrin, aka The Healthcare Economist, brings us a solemn article about suicide among veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Sadly, more veterans have died from suicide than from enemy fire.  This article sheds light on the very real need for better mental health support for our armed forces, both during and after their deployments.

In a similar sobering fashion, Julie Ferguson of Workers’ Comp Insider discusses domestic violence at work – both in terms of violence that occurs in workplaces and violence in homes or other2 locations that can result in injury or death for first responders.  Julie describes the four main types of workplace violence – one of which is domestic violence – and explains why employer cannot afford (financially or morally) to ignore the problem of domestic violence in the workplace.

Switching to happier news, in a short – and very sweet – post, Hank Stern of InsureBlog shares a new study that found the secret to health is 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day.  Sounds good!  Of course, for optimal benefits, it should probably be combined with all that other stuff we know is good for us… good diet, plenty of exercise, water, sleep, etc.  That includes red wine, right?

Jaan Sidorov runs the excellent Disease Management Care Blog, and gives us his thoughts on pharmaceutical company coupons.  Drug copays are set by health insurance carriers to reflect the greater cost associated with brand name prescriptions, and the higher copays for brand name drugs usually serve as an incentive for patients to opt for lower copay generics.  But if the pharmaceutical company provides coupons that mitigate most of the copay for the brand name drug, the end result is higher cost for health insurers.  But Jaan wonders what would happen if the insurance carriers were to fight back and offer their own coupons?  Whatever the […]

Health Insurance For Seasonal Fire Fighters

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[…] In order for these seasonal fire fighters to have health insurance coverage, they have to apply for individual policies or have coverage through a spouse’s group policy. On the upside, most of them are in excellent physical health, since that’s pretty much a job requirement. That means that underwriting on an individual policy isn’t as likely to be a problem as it is for the general population. But it’s important to be aware that some individual health insurance carriers include occupation and/or hobbies in their underwriting guidelines. In Colorado, there are a few carriers that ask questions on the application to determine whether the applicant engages in any high-risk jobs or hobbies. Wildland fire fighting falls under that category, which means that it’s unlikely that the applicant would be approved for coverage by a carrier that includes occupational risk it its underwriting.

There are several reputable individual health insurance carriers in Colorado that do not use occupational risk in their underwriting assessments, and these are obviously a better choice for anyone who has a high-risk job. A good broker can steer an applicant towards the carriers that don’t use occupational risk as part of their underwriting. Combined with the workers’ comp that covers the fire fighters while they’re on the fire line, a solid individual health insurance policy – which provides significant flexibility since it isn’t linked to employment – can help to create a safety net for the people who put a lot on the line to keep the rest of us safe. In the current scenario, this is the best option. But it does seem like it would be a good idea for the Forest Service to allow seasonal fire fighters to at least have the option of purchasing – via payroll deduction – the same health insurance that their full-time coworkers get.

Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealth Vow To Maintain Some Aspects Of ACA, Regardless Of Court Decision

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Much of the healthcare community is eager to hear what the Supreme Court has to say – likely next week – about the ACA. Given how polarized the topic of healthcare reform has been over the past few years, there’s no way that any decision is going to please more than about half of the country, although the court has the option of picking and choosing various parts of the law to uphold or overturn as it sees fit.

Some aspects of the ACA have already been implemented and have proven to be very popular. A few of the country’s biggest health insurance carriers have stated that they will keep some of the most popular ACA provisions – even if the law is overturned. Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealth have said that they will continue to offer preventive care with no cost-sharing, allow young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance policy through age 26, and maintain the third-party appeals process that insureds can use if a claim is denied. Humana and UnitedHealth have also said that they will continue to have no lifetime benefit maximums on their policies and ban rescission except in cases of fraud. […]

Governor Hickenlooper Says Reform Can Succeed Without An Individual Mandate

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Colorado Republicans have pounced on statements that Governor Hickenlooper made on Colorado Public Radio yesterday regarding the individual mandate. Although Governor Hickenlooper did not say that he’s opposed to the individual mandate, he expressed his belief that he doesn’t “think you have to mandate it if you craft it properly.” Since the individual mandate is without a doubt the most controversial aspect of the ACA, the governor’s words will be significant for both sides of the debate. A spokesperson for the governor’s office noted that Hickenlooper was discussing a hypothetical situation that could arise if the Supreme Court strikes down the individual mandate next month but leaves the rest of the ACA intact. Colorado has already done quite a bit of work on the state’s health benefits exchange, but the exchanges are currently being based on the assumption that health insurance will be mandatory in 2014. If the Supreme Court does away with the individual mandate but keeps the rest of the ACA, it will be a challenge for states to create health benefit exchanges that can operate efficiently without an individual mandate. […]

Beware A Scam Targeting Health Insurance Consumers

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The Colorado Division of Insurance notified us today of a new scam that is targeting Colorado health insurance consumers.

People have been getting phone calls from someone who claims to be with the “Colorado Insurance Commission” (there is no such agency – it’s called the Colorado Division of Insurance), telling the potential victim that his or her Colorado health insurance carrier has been taken over by the state.  Then the caller says that the state sent the insured a check for $399 to refund copays, but that it was returned by the post office.  The caller then offers to direct deposit the $399 into the insured’s bank account – and of course asks the person to provide bank account details in order to facilitate this.

As is pretty much always the case when someone calls and wants your bank account information over the phone, this is a scam.  DO NOT GIVE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFO TO ANYONE WHO CALLS YOU, no matter how legitimate their claim might sound.

If you get a call like this, you can report it to local law enforcement.  If you ever get a call from someone who wants your bank account information – for any reason at all – you can hang up and then call the company in question directly (for example, in this case you could just call your health insurance carrier and find out right away that no part of the caller’s statement is true).  Once you’ve determined that the original call was a scam, report it to law enforcement.

The Colorado Division of Insurance wants consumers to be aware of this scam.  And again, legitimate organizations don’t call people and ask for banking information over the phone.  A general rule is that you shouldn’t give out that information to anyone unless you were the one who initiated the communication.

How Individual Health Insurance Measures Up

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[…] So although it’s true that out-of-pocket costs are higher in the individual market (likely due in large part to people opting for policies that are less expensive), if we combine the premiums and the out-of-pocket costs, the total expenses are lower in the individual market ($8,821 in the individual market versus $15,158 in the group market, using Colorado private sector family premiums for the group data). To ignore cost when comparing the policies is to leave out a large piece of the equation.

The Commonwealth Fund study mentions maternity coverage as an example of a benefit that is often not included on individual policies, thus earning them a “tin” rating. In Colorado, maternity is now included on all policies that have been issued or renewed since January 2011 (the data for the study was collected in 2010). But in many states, maternity coverage in the individual market is rare and/or quite expensive as an optional rider. This will change in 2014, and based on our observations of the Colorado individual market over the past year and a half, I would say that the change will be a positive one. But given the fact that so many individual policies did not include maternity coverage in 2010, I’m curious as to what percentage of individual health insurance plans would have earned at least a “bronze” ranking if maternity had been excluded from the data. If we don’t count maternity, how do individual health insurance plans measure up? Most individual plans (assuming they aren’t mini-meds or some sort of limited benefit coverage) in Colorado in 2010 covered complications of pregnancy and charges incurred by a newborn (eg, a premature baby who is in NICU for weeks). But routine maternity care was included on very few individual plans in Colorado prior to 2011. Given that fact, and the fact that all new individual plans in Colorado now have maternity coverage, I’d be curious to see how individual and group plans compare in 2012.

Overall, I think that The Commonwealth Fund study is a good one. It highlights the out-of-pocket exposure that people have in the individual market, and it’s true that the average plan in the individual market has higher out-of-pocket exposure than the average plan in the group market. But to make the comparison without also looking at the premium costs in each market seems a bit disingenuous. If individual health insurance were two to three times as expensive as it is now, it could cover more costs for members with less cost-sharing. But that doesn’t seem like a good solution either.

Medical Underwriting Makes Individual Health Insurance Much Less Expensive Than Group Coverage

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[…] But although there are differences between group and individual coverage that can account for some of the price variation, by far the biggest factor is medical underwriting. The Zane Benefits article points out that 80% of healthcare costs come from 20% of the population – individuals with serious, ongoing health conditions. Group health insurance is required to accept all eligible employees, but individual health insurance carriers use medical underwriting to eliminate the sickest applicants from the pool of insured members (70 % – 90% of applicants in the individual market are accepted and offered a policy – there is quite a bit of variation in underwriting guidelines from one carrier to another and from one state to another). This mean that individual policies are covering people who are generally healthier than the average of the entire population. And that translates to lower healthcare costs in the individual market. […]

New Healthcare Price Comparison Database Coming Soon In Colorado

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[…] Happily, it looks like we’re going to be getting a good healthcare price comparison database here in Colorado next year. This article from Kaiser Health News has all the details, and it looks promising. As the article states – and as we’ve noted here many times – healthcare costs sometimes seem to have little rhyme or reason. They can vary widely from one provider to another and from one area to another without much of a difference in quality of care or patient outcomes. But there are also some variables that have a justifiable impact on healthcare cost variation, such as the overhead expenses associated with teaching hospitals and hospitals that treat a higher-than-average number of uninsured patients. It sounds like the All Payor Claims Database is addressing those issues, so it will be interesting to see how the database accounts for them. I also like the fact that providers will be able to see how they compare with other providers before the data is released to the public, in order to allow the providers to start making improvements where necessary.

I can see this comparison tool – especially given how comprehensive it looks to be – being very beneficial for Colorado residents, and also helping to foster more competition among healthcare providers in the state.

Care Management Outsourcing

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[…] outsourcing of care management and the success of MedAssurant, a data-driven healthcare solutions company that works with provider organizations that care for more than a third of the US population.

With healthcare providers feeling the squeeze both in terms of reimbursements for care and time spent on administration, it makes sense that outsourced care management could be an important part of a medical office’s business plan. Utilizing economies of scale in this manner could save time and money for medical offices, and streamlined care management is likely to be popular with health insurance carriers too. As Jaan points out, MedAssurant has very savvy customers (including health insurance carriers and healthcare provider organizations) and a solid track record, so the service they are providing is obviously valuable and beneficial.

Taxes And Individual Health Insurance

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[…] Greg’s most recent article deals with the way that our tax code treats health insurance premiums. Medicare and Medicaid premiums are obviously subsidized by tax dollars. But group health insurance premiums are also subsidized, since the premiums that employers pay on behalf of their employees are not included in the employee’s taxable income.

People with individual health insurance usually don’t get such a benefit. The self-employed get to deduct individual health insurance premiums on the 1040, but there are plenty of people who purchase individual health insurance and are not self-employed. Early retirees are a good example, as are people who buy their own health insurance because their employer does not provide it.

Greg’s article goes beyond what we usually see on this topic (ie, pointing out the inherent unfairness of not allowing similar tax treatment for all health insurance premiums, regardless of whether the coverage is group or individual). He delves into what the possible implications could be for the individual health insurance market if the tax code were changed to a more equitable system. His prediction includes millions of additional people entering the individual market (thanks to a switch from group to individual coverage), more lenient underwriting standards in the individual market, more innovative products available to consumers, and more competition in the individual market. Check out his article for all the details – definitely some good food for thought.

Best Health Insurance Companies In Colorado

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We recently got a call from a client who mentioned that he had done a Google search for the “best health insurance companies in Colorado” and his concern was that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield was not on the top ten list that he said came up as the first search result.  We were a… Read more about Best Health Insurance Companies In Colorado

Kaiser Will Soon Be Available In Northern Colorado

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[…] The new Kaiser facilities will be in Fort Collins at Harmony and Ziegler, and in Loveland at I-25 and Hwy 34. For hospital services, Kaiser is partnering with Banner Health and members will be able to use McKee Medical Center in Loveland and North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. The medical offices in Fort Collins and Loveland will offer a wide range of services (primary care, lab work, pharmacy, and x-rays, and mammograms will be available at the Loveland office), and are expected to begin providing care by the fall of 2012. A medical office is projected to open in Greeley by 2014. Between now and then however, northern Colorado Kaiser members will be able to see doctors at the Fort Collins and Loveland offices, as well as physicians on the Banner Health network.

Kaiser is planning to offer group coverage to employers in northern Colorado by October 1, 2012. Individual and family coverage should be available sometime next year.

IRS 2013 HSA Contribution Limits

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The IRS announced that the 2013 HSA contribution limit for an individual would increase by $150, from $3,100 to $3,250. The family contribution limit is increasing from $6,250 to $6,450 (+$200).

The maximum annual out-of-pocket increased as well. The individual out of pocket maximum is going from $6,050 to $6,250. The family out of pocket maximum is increasing from $12,100 to $12,500.

The minimum deductible on an HSA qualified plan also increases from $1,200 to $1,250 for individuals and increases from $2,400 to $2,500 for families.

What are the 2012 HSA Contribution Limits?

According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, OTC drugs may be reimbursed only if there is a prescription.

Non-medical withdrawals from an HSA are taxable income and subject to a tax penalty, which increased from 10% in 2010 to 20% in 2011 and remains the same for 2013.

Exception to the IRS tax penalty for non-medical withdrawals:
The tax penalty does not apply if the withdrawal is made after you:
1) Attain age 65;
2) Become totally and permanently disabled; or
3) Die.

More details and research about HSAs and HSA qualified plans.

Details From Anthem On Preventive Care And Contraceptive Coverage

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Last week we added a post about contraceptive coverage under the PPACA and what changes people could expect to see starting in August. We just received an information sheet regarding this subject from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and wanted to share it with our readers. It will be useful for our Anthem clients, and is also helpful to give people a rough idea of how the contraceptive coverage will be implemented by most carriers. There may be some small variations from one carrier to another, but in most cases things will be similar across the board, since federal legislation is guiding the changes.

The Anthem preventive care info sheet is relevant in Colorado and nine other states where Anthem operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, and applies to individual health insurance as well as small and large group plans.

The Anthem info sheet specifically notes that sterilization procedures for men are not included in the new contraceptive coverage – which is the conclusion I came to last week after quite a bit of reading on the subject – since all of the guidelines apply to adding contraceptive coverage to preventive care for women rather than preventive care in general. […]

Contraceptive Coverage And The PPACA

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[…] Anyway, assuming that we’re talking about contraceptives for women, new health insurance policies – except those that are exempt based on religious reasons – will cover contraception with no copays or deductibles. Non-grandfathered plans (grandfathered means that the policy was in effect prior to the PPACA being signed into law and that the plan has not made any significant changes since then) will have to start covering contraceptives as of each plan’s renewal date. This is similar to how the state maternity mandate worked in Colorado last year. New policies had to start covering maternity on January 1, 2011. But existing policies added it throughout the year as each plan renewed (for example, my family’s health insurance plan renews each year in November, so our maternity coverage didn’t begin until November 2011). This brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation website has a lot of good information regarding contraceptive coverage and should help to clarify the issue a bit. […]