CMS Report – Health reform law provides coverage for nearly 50,000 Americans with pre-existing conditions

Covering People with Pre-existing Conditions – Report on the Implementation and Operation of the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan Program, February 23, 2012

  • “Before the Affordable Care Act, Americans with pre-existing conditions who did not receive health coverage through their employers had few affordable options to get the care they needed. In most States, insurance companies could refuse to sell them coverage, charge exorbitant premiums, or offer them coverage that excluded benefits for their health conditions. The result has been tens of thousands of Americans with serious health conditions – like cancer and heart disease – who have been unable to afford health insurance or to pay out of pocket for their own medical care. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, people with pre-existing conditions have new options. The health reform law contains significant benefits for people who are living with pre-existing conditions, expands access to private insurance, and gets rid of the worst insurance industry practices by putting patients first. The law ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. Insurers can no longer deny coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition and starting in 2014, refusing to cover anyone with a pre-existing condition is prohibited. Insurance companies will also not be allowed to charge higher premiums based on health status, pre-existing conditions, or for being a woman. This will allow millions of Americans and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage through a new competitive insurance marketplace and have the same choice of insurance that Members of Congress will have.”
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    Posted in: Government Documents, Legislation
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