Grandfathered plans are those that were in existence on March 23, 2010, and have stayed basically the same. Grandfathered plans are not required to provide all of the benefits and consumer protections required by the Affordable Care Act. For example, a grandfathered plan might not cover preventive health services, it might charge higher premiums based on health status or gender, and it might exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions.

To retain grandfathered status, the plan cannot have been significantly changed since March 23, 2010, such as significant changes in covered benefits or cost sharing, or the share of the plan premium that you are required to contribute if it is an employer-sponsored health plan. Because plans tend to change from year to year, most have already lost grandfather status or will lose it over time.

Employers with grandfathered health plans are allowed to enroll new employees in the grandfathered plan. So even if you first joined an employer’s health plan after March 23, 2010, you should ask about its grandfathered status. Your employer or your insurer must let you know if your health plan is grandfathered.