Health Insurance Rebates: Is Your Check In The Mail?
A new provision of the Affordable Care Act — called the Medical Loss Ratio, or the ‘80/20″ provision — could mean some Americans will see a rebate from their health insurance companies tomorrow.
The provision is aimed at holding health insurance companies accountable for how they spend the money collected through premiums. It compares the dollars they spend on health care costs vs. other overhead costs — like marketing, salaries and administrative expenses.
Under the law, small-group and individual-plan insurance companies that annually spend less than 80 percent of premium dollars on medical care owe their customers a rebate. For insurers to large businesses, the percentage split is 85-15.
This is the first year the provision is in effect, and insurance companies that owe rebates must pay them by tomorrow, Aug. 1.
Here’s a look at the health care rebates, by the numbers:
- Health insurance companies have to pay out a total of $1.1 billion in rebates by tomorrow.
- About 12.8 million Americans will receive a rebate, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
- The average privately insured family will see a $151 rebate from this provision, but payouts will vary by state.
- About 31 percent of Americans who have individual insurance