The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that the majority of insurance policies, even those offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace, include a number of preventive care at zero expense to enrollees. These services encompass examinations, patient counseling, vaccines, and various health tests.
All healthcare insurance policies that comply with the ACA must cover “essential health benefits,” including emergency treatments, contraception methods, antenatal care, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, hospitalization, and pediatric care (HealthCare.gov, 2022c). While these are the key components of ACA-compliant health insurance, the act permits states to expand Medicaid coverage to more individuals.
The Marketplace categorizes health insurance policies into four groups: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Of the four, the one that would suit me is the bronze insurance coverage. This plan offers the lowest monthly premium but the highest medical care spending (HealthCare.gov, 2022a).H
owever, it is the best option since I will only want coverage for catastrophic medical events, such as severe illness or injury. Another alternative is catastrophic insurance coverage, with cheap monthly payments but very hefty deductibles (HealthCare.gov, 2022b). Thus, it can be an inexpensive method to protect me against adverse incidents, such as being very ill or wounded. However, as in the bronze plan, I will be responsible for the majority of ordinary medical bills.
Therefore, I would advise the newly admitted nursing student and her family to consider the bronze and catastrophic health insurance plans. The coverage the latter provides is comparable to bronze policies, although it often have cheaper rates. The family will pay low monthly premiums and only need medical services when necessary. In other words, the ACA provides many insurance plans for all individuals; hence no individual or family should survive without medical insurance.
References
‌HealthCare.gov. (2022a). Understanding Marketplace health insurance categories. HealthCare.gov. Web.
HealthCare.gov. (2022b). How to buy a catastrophic health insurance plan. HealthCare.gov. Web.
Healthcare.gov. (2022c). Affordable Care Act (ACA) – Glossary. Healthcare.gov. Web.