Catastrophic Medical Claimants After ACA's Removal of Annual and Lifetime Limits.

Among the many provisions of the Affordable Care Act, one that initially received lesser attention or concern was the removal of annual or lifetime dollar maximums on group and individual health insurance. It was a rare occurrence for claimants to even approach the formerly lofty limit of perhaps $1 million or $2 million lifetime. However, their removal has aligned with a significant uptick in severely catastrophic claimants--particularly those in excess of $1 million or more. The drivers are several, and alert plan sponsors need to take proper actions to protect the financial viability of their self-funded medical plans.