Obamacare and The Sandwich Generation – By Kimberly Wickert
With the recent focus on The Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, many of us in the sandwich generation are wondering how this will not only impact our healthcare and that of our children but also our elderly parents’ coverage. Changes that Obamacare has imparted that may be seen as a positive change for recipients includes:
*Reducing the donut hole or amount Part D Medicare enrollees are required to pay for prescription coverage when they reach the gap in that coverage
*New funding to state Medicaid programs covering preventative care for patients
*Medicaid reimbursement at 100% of Medicare rates for primary care physicians
*Medicare increase in rate of reimbursement to Primary Care Physicians
*Higher spending caps in 2013 and no capped costs of healthcare in 2014
While this may be a benefit from a recipient standpoint, the impact on employers, healthcare providers and insurance companies may be perceived as a negative one due to government provisions and requirements for coverage and care. Recent media reports reveal some large insurance companies dropping many physicians from their plans. These providers may have long standing relationships with patients covered under Medicare and may be a negative to recipients in that aspect. According to healthcare.gov, employers who exceed 50 employees are considered “large” employers and therefore are required to comply with the Affordable Care Act regulations. These employers are also required to cover employees who work more than 30 hours per week under the Affordable Care Act. As an individual in the sandwich generation, this is a key factor in that employers may begin to maneuver around these regulations by decreasing the number of employees who work more than 30 hours weekly.
“This blog post originally appears on Demos Health Publishing Company’s blog. Read more by this author on her Demos Health Expert Page.”
Kimberly McCrone Wickert – Eldercare Editor: Kimberly holds a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Wright State University and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who has worked with individuals in the field of rehabilitation for more than 20 years. Kimberly is co-author of The Sandwich Generation’s Guide to Eldercare: Concrete Advice to Simultaneously Care for Your Kids and Your Parents (Demos Health, October 2013.) She has experience volunteering and working in long term care facilities and, along with her husband, is the primary caregiver of her mother-in-law. Kimberly has also worked as an adjunct professor at Kent State University in the Rehabilitation Counseling Program.
