East Coast Health Insurance and Health Insurance Laws
Health Insurance laws and protections are very much there, however I would point out that these laws and protections seem to be to protect the health insurance companies at the expense of the individual. In any case here you are angry and reading the health insurance laws on a website determined to find out if you can obtain coverage. Before you go any further I would recommend that you call us at East Coast Health Insurance at 888 803 5917 for a free health insurance quote or let us help unravel whatever situation you are in.
How Our Health Insurance Law Section is Set Up
You currently are in our national health insurance law section. We will briefly discuss all the Federal health insurance laws here, but remember each state is responsible for its owns laws and restrictions so for the most informative information about your states health insurance laws, you will want to find your state on the left and visit the law section. I have also provided links at the bottom of this page to each states health insurance law page.
If you are in the health insurance market particularly you will find that we have a vast resource of information for you, whether it is a government program database or a unknown health insurance law.
A Brief History of US Health Insurance and Background
The United States mixed economy health care system relies heavily on private (for profit) and not-for-profit health insurance, which is the primary source of coverage for most Americans. According to the United States Census Bureau, approximately 84% of Americans have health insurance; some 60% obtain it through an employer, while about 9% purchase it directly. Various government agencies provide coverage to about 27% of Americans (there is some overlap in these figures).
Public programs provide the primary source of coverage for most seniors citizens and for low-income children and families who meet certain eligibility requirements. The primary public programs are Medicare, a federal social insurance program for seniors and certain disabled individuals, Medicaid, funded jointly by the federal government and states but administered at the state level, which covers certain very low income children and their families, and SCHIP, also a federal-state partnership that serves certain children and families who do not qualify for Medicaid but who cannot afford private coverage. Other public programs include military health benefits provided through TRICARE and the Veterans Health Administration and benefits provided through the Indian Health Service. Some states have additional programs for low-income individuals.
A few states have taken serious steps toward universal health care coverage, most notably Minnesota, Massachusetts and Connecticut, with recent examples being the Massachusetts 2006 Health Reform Statute and Connecticut’s SustiNet plan to provide quality, affordable health care to state residents.
In 2006, there were 47 million people in the United States (16% of the population) who were without health insurance for at least part of that year. About 37% of the uninsured live in households with an income over $50,000.
Understanding HIPAA Privacy
The Privacy Rule provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information. At the same time, the Privacy Rule is balanced so that it permits the disclosure of personal health information needed for patient care and other important purposes.
The links below are to detailed sections and pages about each states health insurance laws. Every state page also has a brief outline of the different laws in that state, so if your state is not yet listed below, you can visit your state’s general health insurance page and see a summation of the consumer protections until we are able to finish your state in its entirety.
