Answers to employees’ top 3 questions about health reform

Your employees will ask you about how reform’s going to impact their health coverage. Here are some answers you can give them now:

When will changes start?

First off, your health plan doesn’t have to change much. The law “grandfathers” existing employer plans. Your plan just has to conform to a few mandates that take effect this September, like:

• plans that offer dependent coverage must extend that coverage to children up to 26 years old — even if they’re married, and
• insurers will be prohibited from denying dependents under 19 coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Between 2011 and 2014, regulators will lay the rest of the groundwork for the main parts of the overhaul.

Am I going to have to pay more?

Employees with higher incomes will pay for part of the reform law’s coverage expansions.

For example, in 2013 individuals making more than $200,000 a year and couples earning more than $250,000 will see their Medicare payroll taxes increase from 1.45% to 2.35%.

Also beginning in 2013, certain income from interest and stock dividends will be taxed at a higher rate for those with higher incomes.

Starting in 2011, limits will be placed on what’s covered by flex account dollars. For example: Over-the-counter meds will no longer be covered without a prescription.

Will I have to change doctors?

This will primarily depend on whether your company switches providers — and which physicians are in that new provider’s network.

Nothing in the reform law says that a physician will have to continue seeing existing patients, but many say they’ll continue to do so as long as they can afford to provide the care.