Washington, D.C. -- June 22, 2010 -- The administration today issued regulations enforcing several provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are critical to patients. As the leading voice of patients during the debate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) strongly supported the inclusion of patient protections in the law, such as bans on annual and lifetime coverage limits, the elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions and bans on rescissions.
A statement from ACS CAN on the regulations issued today follows:
"These regulations will help to expand patients' access to health care and ensure that insurance companies cannot cut patients off from care because of arbitrary annual and lifetime benefit limits, unfairly drop them from coverage through rescission or deny children coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
"The regulations enforce the critical ban on lifetime benefit limits that can result in the sudden termination of a patient's care, and they strongly restrict annual benefit limits by setting them at a minimum of $750,000 beginning Sept. 23 of this year, $1.25 million beginning in September of next year and $2 million beginning a year after that, until they are banned completely in 2014. ACS CAN worked with the White House and congressional leaders during the debate to strengthen the annual limit restrictions in the bill.
"We agree that insurers must receive permission from the federal government to delay implementing the new rules on annual limits to prevent decreases in benefits or increases in premiums. In comments on the regulations, we will encourage the government to base such decisions on the need to leave patients better off than they are currently.
"The importance of eliminating benefit limits was addressed at the White House today by ACS CAN volunteer Amy Wilhite of Marblehead, Ohio. Amy introduced the President and discussed her family’s difficulty affording care for her 12-year-old daughter, Taylor, a cancer survivor in need of continued care for the side effects of her treatment. The Wilhites threatened to reach the lifetime limit on Taylor's policy during her treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.
"By eliminating arbitrary annual and lifetime benefit limits and strongly enforcing other patient protections, the Affordable Care Act will help patients feel more secure in knowing that they will be able to get the care they need, when they need it."
ACS CAN, the leading voice of patients in the health care debate, is working to ensure that the Affordable Care Act is implemented as strongly as possible for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. For more information, visit https://www.fightcancer.org/healthcare.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Steven Weiss
(202) 661-5711
[email protected]
Alissa Havens
(202) 661-5772
[email protected]