In New Mexico, what does the minimum essential coverage include as defined by the Affordable Care Act?

Minimum essential coverage, as defined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), encompasses a broad array of services designed to ensure that individuals receive comprehensive healthcare. The correct choice highlights that minimum essential coverage includes essential health benefits, preventive services, and limits on out-of-pocket costs.

Essential health benefits are a set of health care service categories that must be covered by certain plans, which include services such as ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, prescription drugs, rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, laboratory services, preventive and wellness services, and pediatric services.

Preventive services are crucial because they allow for early detection and management of illnesses without imposing cost-sharing. Limits on out-of-pocket costs protect individuals from excessive healthcare expenses, ensuring that they can access necessary medical care without facing financial hardship. This comprehensive coverage is foundational to the ACA's goal of improving healthcare access and affordability.

In contrast, the other options are too narrow or limited in scope. Emergency services only would not cover the full range of essential health services needed by an insured person. Coverage for pre-existing conditions is certainly a key feature of many insurance plans post-ACA, but on its own, it does not encapsulate