Lower Premiums Make Federal Health Care Program More Affordable for Uninsured

Learn more at an online chat June 28

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo., June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning July 1, 2011, many enrollees will pay less each month for health care coverage under the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP).  Created in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act, PCIP provides health care coverage for uninsured people with pre-existing health conditions until new insurance market rules go into effect in 2014.  PCIP is provided through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered through the Office of Personnel Management by Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) in more than 20 states.

For information about the program, join us online at www.pciplan.com for an online chat at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, June 28.  The chat will be hosted by Richard Popper, Director of Insurance Programs at the Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight, part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To submit a question before the chat, go to www.pciplan.com.

We'll discuss eligibility and enrollment, rates, and benefits, for three separate PCIP plan options, each with different levels of premiums, calendar year deductibles and prescription copayments.

Each of the three PCIP plan options:

• Includes all covered benefits, even to treat a pre-existing condition, immediately from the date coverage begins.
• Covers a broad range of health benefits, including primary and specialty care, hospital care and prescription drugs.
• Does not charge a higher premium to individuals with medical conditions.
• Does not base eligibility on income.

People interested in coverage through PCIP can get more information at www.pciplan.com.  Enrollments can be completed online at www.pcip.gov.

PCIP is administered through the Office of Personnel Management by GEHA in these states, plus the District of Columbia.  

In areas not on this list, PCIP is administered by each state.  For information, go to www.healthcare.gov.

SOURCE GEHA