What are ACA benefits?
Asked by: Samantha Lakin | Last update: December 30, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (64 votes)
What are 5 mandated benefits under the ACA?
The 10 categories of benefits in an EHB package are: 1) ambulatory patient services, 2) emergency services, 3) hospitalization, 4) maternity and newborn care, 5) mental health and substance use disorder services, 6) prescription drugs, 7) rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, 8) lab services, 9) ...
What is an ACA qualified benefit?
An insurance plan that's certified by the Health Insurance Marketplace ®, provides essential health benefits, follows established limits on cost-sharing (like deductibles, copayments, and out-of-pocket maximum amounts), and meets other requirements under the Affordable Care Act.
What are the ACA 10 essential benefits?
The Affordable Care Act requires non-grandfathered health insurance coverage in the individual and small group markets to cover essential health benefits (EHB), which include items and services in at least the following ten benefit categories: (1) ambulatory patient services; (2) emergency services; (3) hospitalization ...
What is the highest income to qualify for ACA?
In 2025, you'll typically be eligible for ACA subsidies if you earn between $15,060 and $60,240 as a single person. A family of four is eligible with a household income between $31,200 and $124,800.
ACA 101: A Comprehensive Guide to the Affordable Care Act
How can I qualify for ACA?
- Must live in the United States.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national (or be lawfully present). Learn about eligible immigration statuses.
- Cannot be incarcerated in prison or jail.
Can I refuse health insurance from my employer and get Obamacare?
Obamacare is available to everyone, whether or not their employers offer insurance. From a practical standpoint, though, there are financial consequences to doing this. Often, an employer subsidizes part or all of their employees' coverage.
What are the pros and cons of the Affordable Care Act?
The pros of the ACA include prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on health history and providing subsidies to reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The cons of the ACA include small business challenges and limited provider options in some regions.
Does ACA cover prescriptions?
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), certain preventive medicines are covered at 100 percent with no member out-of-pocket cost. These medicines include: low-dose aspirin. breast cancer prevention medicines.
Does the Affordable Care Act cover surgery?
10 covered benefits:
Hospitalization (like surgery and overnight stays) Pregnancy and newborn care (both before and after birth) Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment, counseling, and psychotherapy. Prescription drugs.
What is the ACA 30 hour rule?
If an employee is credited with an average of 30 hours per week or more during the Standard Measurement Period, the employee would be eligible for benefits for the upcoming plan year.
Are non-ACA plans worth it?
Deciding Between ACA and Non-ACA Plans
In contrast, non-ACA plans may suit those in good health seeking lower premiums or temporary coverage, with an acceptance of the limitations and risks associated with less comprehensive coverage.
What is the 50/30 rule in the Affordable Care Act?
The Affordable Care Act's “shared responsibility” provisions (also referred to as the "employer mandate" or "play or pay") generally require that “applicable large employers” or ALEs (those with 50 or more full-time employees working at least 30 hours per week or their equivalents when adding together part-time hours) ...
What are the ACA benefits?
A set of 10 categories of services health insurance plans must cover under the Affordable Care Act. These include doctors' services, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, prescription drug coverage, pregnancy and childbirth, mental health services, and more. Some plans cover more services.
What is the 9.5 rule in Obamacare?
The 9.5% threshold for health insurance costs
The Health Reform bill established 9.5% as the amount of income used for health insurance beyond which, it would not be an affordable. This means that if you make $40K annually, the bill subsidizes health insurance premiums beyond just short of $4K.
What makes an employee ACA eligible?
Determining employee eligibility
For purposes of the ACA, a full-time employee is anyone who, on average, works 30 hours or more per week or 130 or more hours per month. Employers need to continually track which members of their workforce fulfill this criteria and whether they accept or decline health coverage.
What does the ACA not cover?
What Benefits Does the Affordable Care Act Not Cover? The Affordable Care Act does leave two forms of insurance for adults out of its provisions — vision insurance and dental coverage. Although both of these services are considered essential benefits for children under the ACA, they are not included for adults.
What drugs are free under ACA?
ACA Preventive Drug categories include the following: Aspirin, Bowel Preparation, Breast Cancer Primary Prevention, Contraceptives, Fluoride, Folic Acid Supplements, HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Iron Supplements, Single Agent Statins, Tobacco Cessation, and Vaccines.
Do doctors accept ACA plans?
Just like any other health plan, your Marketplace plan may not be accepted by every doctor, hospital, or provider. Many Marketplace insurance plans have limited or “narrow” networks of doctors and hospitals that agree to accept these lower negotiated prices.
What is the biggest problem with the Affordable Care Act?
Impact on Individual Insurance
It was also known that consumers would face a very different health insurance world under the ACA, with some people seeing their premiums go down and some seeing them go up, and the majority of Americans seeing higher deductibles, higher copays, and a smaller pool of providers.
Who is not eligible for Obamacare?
To be eligible to enroll in health coverage through the Marketplace, you must: Live in the United States (U.S). Be a U.S. citizen or national, or be lawfully present non-citizen in the U.S. Learn about eligible immigration statuses. Not be incarcerated.
What is the 30 hour rule for ACA?
Under the Affordable Care Act, full-time employees work an average of either 30 hours or more in a week or 130 hours during the month. Employers with over 50 full-time employees must comply with ACA requirements. Full-time employees who work at least 30 hours per week in any month are counted as one full-time employee.
Can I have both Obamacare and employer insurance?
Short answer: Yes. But there are some important caveats to consider. Here, we break down what you need to know about enrolling in Obamacare if your employer offers insurance benefits too.
What is the difference between a PPO and a HMO?
HMOs (health maintenance organizations) are typically cheaper than PPOs, but they tend to have smaller networks. You need to see your primary care physician before getting a referral to a specialist. PPOs (preferred provider organizations) are usually more expensive.