Some policy experts say Californians are already getting some benefits from the federal healthcare reform package signed into law this year. More features will kick in this fall.
Beginning in September, insured patients won't have to pay for preventive screenings like pap smears, mammograms, or diabetes tests.
Health insurers will no longer be allowed to cancel a policy when someone gets sick.
Ken Jacobs chairs the UC Berkeley Labor Center. He says another benefit will take effect that will help people who face a devastating illness.
"There's an elimination of lifetime limits on coverage, banning lifetime limits on the dollar value of benefits," Jacobs says. "So people won't get sick and discover their insurance has extremely limited coverage."
New federal money will be available to community clinics starting this fall. And children who have preexisting conditions may not be denied coverage.
