Matt Campbell, candidate to be Iowa’s next Congressman from Iowa’s 5th District indicated that the Patient’s Bill of Rights in the Affordable Care Act in effect beginning today will greatly help Iowa working families and stop the worst of insurance company abuses.
Matt Campbell, candidate to be Iowa’s next Congressman from Iowa’s 5th District indicated that the Patient’s Bill of Rights in the Affordable Care Act in effect beginning today will greatly help Iowa working families and stop the worst of insurance company abuses.
The new law now effective prohibits insurance plans both from denying coverage and limiting benefits for children based on a pre-existing condition. This law applies to all health care plans, except for “grandfathered” plans in the individual market. These protections will be extended to all ages starting in 2014.
The new law prohibits the use of lifetime limits on benefits in all health plans and phases out annual limits over the next three years.
The new law also guarantees individuals get to choose their primary care doctor, allows individuals to choose a pediatrician as a child’s primary care doctor and gives women the right to see an OB-GYN without having to obtain a referral first.
The legislation also precludes insurance companies from retroactively cancelling insurance policies when an individual becomes sick if an individual or employer had made an unintentional mistake on the paperwork.
Preventative services are expanded under the new law and will long-term reduce overall health care costs. Under the new law, insurance companies must cover recommended preventive services including mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations and pre-natal and new baby care, without charging deductibles, co-payments or co-insurance.
Campbell says, “Today many Iowans do not get the high-quality preventive care they need to stay healthy or to avoid or delay the onset of disease. The new law will help Americans get preventive care to keep health care costs down.”