Your Rights and Protections Under the Affordable Care Act

Under the new health care law, you will see an end to some of the worst abuses of the insurance industry. New rules will put you – not your insurance company – in control of your health care.

Know your rights and protections.

Under the Affordable Care Act:

• Insurers are prohibited from taking away your coverage based on an unintentional mistake on an application

• Families are protected from having their coverage capped by lifetime dollar limits on benefits if someone is in an accident or becomes sick

• Insurers are required to spend at least 80% of your premium dollars on health care and quality improvement, instead of insurance company administrative costs, big salaries, or marketing

• Insurers must submit premium rate increases of 10% or higher to states (and in some cases the federal government) to determine whether they are reasonable

• Insurers can no longer deny coverage to children who have pre-existing conditions ranging from cancer to asthma
  
• Parents can keep children under the age of 26 as dependents on their plan, if they do not have coverage of their own
  
• Small business owners can better compete by providing tax credits and by increasing their purchasing power through competitive private health insurance Exchanges

Read more about your rights under the Affordable Care Act.