Simple Health Insurance Forms: Obama Administration Shortens Complex Forms to 3 Pages
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The Obama administration is set to release a simplified three-page form for health insurance, The Associated Press reported.
The previous version of the application was a whopping 21 pages. According to the Department of Health and Human Services the individual form will now be three pages, and another application for families was cut down two-thirds, to seven pages.
Officials thought the draft versions would deter many people from applying; the newer and significantly shorter forms are meant to be more encouraging.
The nonprofit, health care advocate Families USA is saying the new application process will be easier to follow and is not as daunting.
Starting October 1, about 30 million uninsured Americans would be able to apply for health insurance. States are offering health insurance exchanges, which would allow people to compare plans in the marketplace before they buy.
But it remains uncertain whether the administration is capable of effectively simplifying the context.
States, for example, have the responsibility to explain insurance plans to families and small-business owners before purchasing. Other scenarios are even more unnerving, in that they require individuals to figure things out on there own. Among advocacy groups, there is a fear that many individuals could misinterpret or inaccurately draw conclusions from the new health care law.
Recently, the Employee Benefit Research Institute released a study that looked at 700 young dependents in 2011 when the reform took effect. The total costs incurred when the reform took effect was $2,866, while the comparison group with individual coverage incurred an average of $2,472.
The higher cost under the parent's plan was misinterpreted by several Republican officials as parents having to pay more, but it was the insurance companies that were being required to cover the extra costs.
While this is another hurdle for the administration to overcome, other grueling tasks remain for families, including detailing income information such as tax returns, payroll stubs, and accounts of finances in order to be eligible for government support.
The new application will be available online through health insurance marketplaces in the state. The single form determines whether the individual receives a private or Medicaid plan. The system will purge through the Social Security, Homeland Security, and IRS systems to verify a person's status.