Before the ACA, many health plans had a yearly limit on what they would pay, either in total costs or for services such as prescriptions or hospitalizations. After hitting the limit, the beneficiary was required to pay all of the other costs for the rest of the year. While the ACA has deductibles and out-of-pocket costs that can be burdensome, it also ended the yearly (and lifetime) limits so that people who get a catastrophic, high-cost disease or condition don’t have to worry about hitting benefit limits.
