Health care law: New regulations kick in

Meredith Rosenthal, associate professor of health economics and policy at HSPH, was interviewed Sept. 24, 2010, by Fox25 Morning News in Boston about what changes will result from the first wave of the new federal health care regulations that took effect Sept. 23. Most of the legislation regulates the structure of health insurance plans that can be sold. “These are going to be important changes in ensuring equitable and secure access to health insurance,” Rosenthal said.

Under the new regulations, lifetime limits can no longer be imposed upon policy holders and annual limits are being phased out; parents with sick children will be able to put a sick child on their plan; insurers will not be able to cancel a policy when someone get sick, except in cases of fraud; and co-pays for preventive health care are being eliminated. It is not yet known what impact the new regulations will have on insurance premiums. Most of the impact will be felt outside of Massachusetts, as the Commonwealth had anticipated many of the changes when it adopted its groundbreaking universal health coverage reform in 2006. Rosenthal recommended consumers check with their state division of insurance or the human resource departments at their workplaces for more information about how the changes will affect them.

Watch the interview

More information

The 2010 Health Care Reform Law (HSPH video)

Talking Health Care Reform: A Conversation with Meredith Rosenthal (Harvard Public Health Review)

Department of Health Policy and Management