How do I know whether “ObamaCare” applies to me?

Polls show many Americans remain mystified by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or “ObamaCare” as it is commonly known.

Here are some common questions and concerns about the new law.

QUESTION: How will actual health care coverage and services be different under ObamaCare?

ANSWER: Coverage in the exchanges will be more comprehensive than what is typically available to individuals in the current health insurance market, which is dominated by bare-bones plans. It will resemble what a successful small business offers its employees. All plans in the exchange, and most outside it, will have to cover a standard set of benefits, including hospitalization, doctor visits, prescriptions, emergency room treatment, and maternal and newborn care. Under the law, insurers can’t turn away people or charge them more because of health problems or chronic illnesses. Insurers also are banned from setting different rates based on gender. Middle-aged and older adults can’t be charged more than three times what young people pay, but insurers can impose penalties on smokers. Most health insurance plans have to cover certain preventive services. Those include routine vaccinations, vision and hearing tests for children, and screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol, colon cancer and high blood pressure.

QUESTION: I currently have insurance through my employer. Will anything change?

ANSWER: For many people who have health insurance through their employer, the Kaiser Family Foundation says not a lot is expected to happen right away. Some workers may receive a financial break from the new cap on out-of-pocket expenses and free preventive care. But some larger companies, those with 50 or more employees, already are looking for ways to cut costs and avoid getting hit with a new tax set to take effect in 2018 on so-called “Cadillac” insurance plans. Those are defined as plans valued at $10,200 or more for individual coverage and $27,500 for family policies. United Parcel Service, for example, informed its white collar employees that it will no longer cover spouses if they can get coverage through their own employers. Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, recently predicted its workers may have to help shoulder the cost of various new mandates under the Affordable Care Act, such as coverage for employees’ children until they are 26 years old and coverage for workers who had previously opted out but will now be required to have health insurance.

QUESTION: The government has delayed the large-business mandate for a year, but what will the law mean for owners of smaller businesses?

ANSWER: Under the Affordable Care Act, a small business is defined as having anywhere from two to 50 employees. Those firms are not required to provide their workers with health insurance. But businesses with employment levels close to the 50-employee threshold have until 2015 to calculate whether it’s worth reducing their work force or cutting workers’ hours to avoid a series of escalating penalties that kick in if just one of their employees ends up receiving government-subsidized health care. Meanwhile, many smaller businesses appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach before determining whether to buy coverage through health insurance marketplaces geared toward their needs. In some states, they won’t be able to compare rates with their current insurance plans until open enrollment begins in October. The business-to-business outreach manager at Connecticut’s health insurance exchange, for example, predicts the plans will ultimately be attractive to smaller businesses that did not always offer insurance coverage.

QUESTION: Will I be forced to change doctors or health plans even I don’t want to, and will my choices for both be limited?

ANSWER: Probably not. You can maintain your current providers if you have job-based insurance and can choose any available primary care provider in your insurance plan’s network. However, the influx of patients who will be newly insured under the Affordable Care Act could overwhelm the health care system in some areas. That could mean you will see a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, rather than an actual physician.

In general, the Obama administration says the law offers new rights and protections whether you have coverage or need it, but there are some exceptions. The new rights do not apply to health plans created or bought before March 23, 2010.

QUESTION: If I currently buy my own insurance, can I keep it or do I have to change?

If you have individual insurance — a plan you bought yourself rather than what you get through an employer — you should be able to change to a new plan if you choose.

It also will be illegal for insurance companies to cancel your coverage if you make simple mistakes on forms, but you still can be canceled for intentionally making false claims. If you have COBRA continuation health coverage, you can maintain it or decide to buy a new insurance plan. If you select a plan by Dec. 15, you can have coverage starting Jan. 1.

QUESTION: I keep hearing about bronze, silver, gold and platinum. What does that mean?

Bronze, silver, gold and platinum refer to the types of insurance policies available to businesses and individuals under the exchanges created by the health care law. The categories reflect how much premiums will cost each month and the amount you will pay for such things as hospital visits and prescription medications. The percentage covered by the plan increases from bonze to platinum. The lowest-cost plan is bronze, in which the insurance company covers 60 percent of the expenses and the individual will pay 40 percent. The highest-cost tier is platinum, in which the insurer covers 90 percent of the expenses and the individual pays 10 percent.