| Health Care Financing and Health Care Reform |
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To find out about public health insurance options- including NH Medicaid, Healthy Kids Gold and Silver, and Home Care for Children with Severe
Disabilities (also called Katie Beckett), please follow this link: NH Public Health Insurance
If you and your family get your insurance through your employer or your spouse’s employer, please follow this link: Employer Health Insurance
If you are not able to get health insurance through work, or if you have an individual plan - or - want to learn
more about them, please follow this link: Individual Health Insurance. This is also the place to learn about
Child Only Plans.
In March of 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education
Affordability Reconciliation Act became law. These new laws together make up health care reform,
otherwise known as the new health law. Some parts of the new health law went into effect immediately
while other parts will be phased in over time.
New Hampshire families with children with special health care needs are now able to get health insurance
for their children. As of September 23, 2010, health insurance plans cannot limit or deny benefits or deny
coverage outright for a child younger than age 19 simply because the child has a “pre-existing condition”,
health plans will not be able to put a lifetime dollar limit on most benefits, and the new law helps make
wellness and prevention services affordable and accessible by requiring health plans to cover many
preventive services without charging a co-payment, coinsurance, or deductible. Another big change is that
youth up to the age of 26 can remain on their parents’ health insurance. New Hampshire families are
already benefiting from these new protections.
Most of the changes the new health law brings affect a type of insurance called “fully insured” plans and not
“self insured” plans. Companies who offer self insured plans will have to comply with some new regulations but
not all of them. To find out the difference, look at our Employer Health Insurance page.
Part of the new health law includes an online insurance market place that will allow people to research,
compare and apply for insurance all in one place. People who are looking for individual plans, whose workplace
insurance is too expensive and small businesses will be able to shop for insurance in this way. The system is
expected to be seamless so that if a family would qualify for Medicaid, the application they fill out in the
Exchange will be directed to the right place thereby eliminating the need to repeatedly apply for insurance.
The new health law specifies that all states will have Exchanges set up by 2014. If not, the federal
government will set up an Exchange for that state. To learn more see the video explaining exchanges on
our Employer Health Insurance page.
Plans that were already in existence when the new law took effect are considered grandfathered.
These plans are exempt from many of the new regulations in the new health law. If an employee works
at a company which had an existing plan, or if a new employee joins a plan that already existed, many of the
protections from the new health law will not apply. There are, however, rules about how a company can
keep or lose its grandfathered status. For example, if there is a significant increase in co-payments or
deductibles, if co-insurance amounts are raised or if plans eliminate covered benefits necessary to treat
a condition, they will lose their grandfathered status and be subject to all the protections in the new law.
To learn more about Grandfathered plans see the fact sheet on the left from Families USA.
Welcome to Our Health Care Financing Page
| Grandfathered Plans Fact Sheet |
NH Insurance Department - (603) 271-2261 / Consumer
Hotline 1-800-852-3416
New Hampshire Health and Human Services - Federal
Health Reform in NH - Office of the Commissioner (603)
271-9200
New Hampshire Health Access - The New Hampshire
Health Access Network is a voluntary effort by health
care providers to improve access to health care for low-
income children and adults statewide.
NH Health Cost - HealthCost provides information on the
price of medical care in New Hampshire by insurance plan
and by procedure. It also provides the estimate price of
medical care for the uninsured. The consumer website is
updated on a quarterly basis. This site gives patients
information about the price of health care services.
Contact: (603) 271-7973
NH Healthy Kids - New Hampshire Healthy Kids provides
access to affordable, quality health and dental coverage
to uninsured children and teens in New Hampshire.
Contact: Toll-free in NH: 1-877-464-2447 or (603) 228-
2925
NH Health Plan (NHHP) - is a Federal high risk pool
program established by the United States Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide access
to affordable health coverage for the uninsured,
regardless of health condition. (Administered for HHS by
N.H. Health Plan). Contact: 1-877-888-NHHP (6447)
New Hampshire’s Medicine Cabinet - Prescription drug
price finder tool
Hotline 1-800-852-3416
New Hampshire Health and Human Services - Federal
Health Reform in NH - Office of the Commissioner (603)
271-9200
New Hampshire Health Access - The New Hampshire
Health Access Network is a voluntary effort by health
care providers to improve access to health care for low-
income children and adults statewide.
NH Health Cost - HealthCost provides information on the
price of medical care in New Hampshire by insurance plan
and by procedure. It also provides the estimate price of
medical care for the uninsured. The consumer website is
updated on a quarterly basis. This site gives patients
information about the price of health care services.
Contact: (603) 271-7973
NH Healthy Kids - New Hampshire Healthy Kids provides
access to affordable, quality health and dental coverage
to uninsured children and teens in New Hampshire.
Contact: Toll-free in NH: 1-877-464-2447 or (603) 228-
2925
NH Health Plan (NHHP) - is a Federal high risk pool
program established by the United States Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide access
to affordable health coverage for the uninsured,
regardless of health condition. (Administered for HHS by
N.H. Health Plan). Contact: 1-877-888-NHHP (6447)
New Hampshire’s Medicine Cabinet - Prescription drug
price finder tool
| Market Reforms Health care reform includes new rules that regulate the health insurance market, protect consumers and keep costs fair. Click this video to learn more. More information can be found at: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
HealthCare.gov - A federal government website managed by
the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Federal Health and Human Services - Federally-funded
health centers care for you, even if you have no health
insurance. You pay what you can afford, based on your income.
Families USA - Families USA is a national, nonprofit,
non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of
high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - Health Reform
Source
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Health Care Coverage
Catalyst Center - Improving Financing of Care for Children &
Youth with Special Health Care Needs
The Health Care Law & You
The Affordable Care Act puts in place strong consumer
protections, provides new coverage options and gives you the
tools you need to make informed choices about your health.
The Health Care Law and Children with pre-existing
conditions
The Health Care Law and Young Adult Coverage
What's Changing When -Time line for the Affordable Care
Act
the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Federal Health and Human Services - Federally-funded
health centers care for you, even if you have no health
insurance. You pay what you can afford, based on your income.
Families USA - Families USA is a national, nonprofit,
non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of
high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - Health Reform
Source
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Health Care Coverage
Catalyst Center - Improving Financing of Care for Children &
Youth with Special Health Care Needs
The Health Care Law & You
The Affordable Care Act puts in place strong consumer
protections, provides new coverage options and gives you the
tools you need to make informed choices about your health.
The Health Care Law and Children with pre-existing
conditions
The Health Care Law and Young Adult Coverage
What's Changing When -Time line for the Affordable Care
Act
| National Resources |
| NH Resources |
Health Reform Hits
Main Street
Confused about how the new health
reform law really works? This short,
animated movie -- featuring the
"YouToons" -- explains the problems with
the current health care system, the
changes that are happening now, and the
big changes coming in 2014
Written and produced by the Kaiser
Family Foundation. Narrated by Cokie
Roberts, a news commentator for ABC
News and NPR and a member of Kaiser's
Board of Trustees. Creative production
and animation by Free Range Studios
Main Street
Confused about how the new health
reform law really works? This short,
animated movie -- featuring the
"YouToons" -- explains the problems with
the current health care system, the
changes that are happening now, and the
big changes coming in 2014
Written and produced by the Kaiser
Family Foundation. Narrated by Cokie
Roberts, a news commentator for ABC
News and NPR and a member of Kaiser's
Board of Trustees. Creative production
and animation by Free Range Studios
¿Esta confundido acerca de cómo la nueva
ley de reforma de salud realmente
funciona? Este video explica los problemas
relacionados con el sistema de salud
actual, los cambios que están sucediendo
ahora, y los cambios importantes que se
anticipan para el 2014.
ley de reforma de salud realmente
funciona? Este video explica los problemas
relacionados con el sistema de salud
actual, los cambios que están sucediendo
ahora, y los cambios importantes que se
anticipan para el 2014.