Plan Requirements

"The PPACA includes additional preventive care and screenings for women. This includes well-woman visits, gestational diabetes screening for pregnant women, domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling, FDA-approved contraception methods, contraceptive education and counseling, breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling, HPV DNA testing for women 30 or older, sexually transmitted infections counseling, and HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women. This mandate applies to all employers and educational institutions except for religious organizations. Annual and lifetime coverage caps on essential benefits were banned, and insurers are prohibited from dropping policyholders when they get sick. All health policies sold in the United States must provide an annual maximum out-of-pocket payment cap for an individual's or family's medical expenses, excluding premiums. After the maximum out-of-pocket payment cap is reached, the insurer must pay all remaining costs. Preventive care, vaccinations, and medical screenings cannot be subject to co-payments, co-insurance, or deductibles. The law established four tiers of coverage: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. All categories offer the essential health benefits. Bronze plans have the lowest monthly premiums and highest out-of-pocket costs, while platinum plans are the reverse. The percentages of health care costs that plans are expected to cover through premiums, as opposed to out-of-pocket costs, are, on average, 60% for bronze, 70% for silver, 80% for gold, and 90% for platinum. Insurers are required to implement an appeals process for coverage determination and claims on all new plans. Businesses that employ 50 or more people but do not offer health insurance to their full-time employees pay a tax penalty if the government has subsidized a full-time employee's health care through tax deductions or other means. This is commonly known as the employer mandate. Insurers must spend at least 80–85% of premium dollars on health costs; rebates must be issued to policyholders if this is violated."