According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, before the Affordable Care Act, the marketing materials provided by insurers could make it difficult for consumers to understand what the policies cover and how cost sharing works in order to choose the plan that will work best for your specific health care needs. Newrules require health plans to provide a summary of benefits and coverage, and a list of definitions, designed to make it easier for you to compare your options, and understand exactly what you are buying. The new requirements will also make it easier for employers to compare health insurance options to provide for their employees.

Specifically, under these rules, consumers will have access to two key documents that will be written in plain language, in a standard format, to help you understand and evaluate your choices:

• A short, easy-to-understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage (or “SBC”). This will include a new, standardized plan comparison tool called “coverage examples,” similar to the Nutrition Facts label required for packaged foods. The coverage examples will illustrate sample medical situations and describe how much coverage the plan would provide in an event such as having a baby (normal delivery) or managing Type 2 diabetes (routine maintenance, well-controlled).
• A uniform glossary of terms commonly used in health insurance coverage, such as “deductible” and “co-payment.”

It’s a start to better understanding your rights under the health reform law and will bring a common understanding to the insurance marketplace.  If we can learn the language of social media, where “friend” has become a verb and “texting” a household word, perhaps “preauthorization” and “medical necessity” won’t be so scary.

I’m a health care and legal professional with more than 30 years’ experience who has witnessed firsthand the evolution of the health care industry from the perspective of a practicing physician assistant, then a federal public health official, practicing lawyer and government relations expert.  Over the years, I’ve observed the growing importance of better communication between health providers and consumers and the need for someone who, in her words, could “take information and boil it down so people could really understand it.”

With this background and my lifelong passion for writing, I launched a freelance health policy writing business aimed at providing credible information on health reform that people can use.   In essence, I blend the “complex medical, legal and social implications of health policy issues into one clear voice” so that the intended audience, whether peer professionals or the general public, can understand the implications and make better informed decisions.

My clients range from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the International Spa Association (and everything in between), including Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Center for Medical Technology Policy, WomenHeart and various DC-based health consulting firms in need of Congressional reports, white papers and consumer-driven articles.  Working with your needs or those of your professional trade, I can break down what you need to know, research and decipher the lastest, and get it back to you in whatever form you want.  I also write for consumer publications at this site and cover a broad range of topics on health, wellness, lifestyle management, and finding the passion in your day.

I look forward to hearing from you . . . real soon!