Health Care Reform Update
Effective January 1, 2011, the Health Plan is required to make certain changes mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, the Plan will be required to:
- Provide dependent coverage for adult children up to age 26;
- Eliminate lifetime limits and annual limits on essential benefits; and
- Eliminate rescissions of coverage except in instances of fraud or intentional misrepresentation.
There has been some misinformation as to the effective date of the changes listed above. Specifically, some outlets have reported that these changes are to be effective on September 23, 2010. However, the Affordable Care Act requires health plans to make these changes effective for Plan or Policy Years beginning on or after September 23, 2010. Our Health Plan's next Plan Year (which is described on page 125 of the Health Plan booklet) begins on January 1, 2011. That is our Health Plan's mandated effective date for these changes.
As the Board of Trustees is currently working on the amendments necessary to bring our Health Plan in compliance with the Affordable Care Act, no changes have yet been made to the Health Plan. Once the Plan is officially amended by the Board of Trustees, we will communicate with all Health Plan participants via www.dgaplans.org, the Health Plan's Spotlight on Benefits newsletter and other special mailings. In those communications, we will detail the process for enrolling adult dependent children under your health coverage.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Health Plan at (323) 866-2200 or toll-free at (877) 866-2200.