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Good morning,
Six months ago, Gail O'Brien didn’t know whether or not she
would be able to treat her cancer. Betsy Burton wasn't sure
if she could afford to keep paying the skyrocketing premiums
for her employees' health insurance. Paul Horne was
struggling to make ends meet after his prescription drug
coverage hit the "donut hole."
The thing about these stories is that they could happen to
anybody. Millions of Americans -- maybe even you or someone
you know -- have been struggling for years with our broken
health care system. These stories are what inspired me to
fight for the Affordable Care Act and made me so proud to
sign this landmark legislation into law six months ago.
Every day, I hear from Americans like Gail, Betsy and Paul,
and a few of these folks have stepped forward to bravely
share their stories with the entire country. Take a minute
to hear what they have to say:
The Affordable Care Act is already making a difference in
the lives of millions of Americans. And starting tomorrow,
the Patient's Bill of Rights goes into effect, ending some
of the worst abuses of the insurance industry and putting
you, not your insurance company, in control of your health
care.
Here's what the Patient's Bill of Rights means for you:
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No more discrimination against kids with
pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies
can no longer bar families from purchasing coverage
because of a child's pre-existing condition.
-
No more lifetime coverage limits.
Insurance companies can no longer put a lifetime limit
on the amount of coverage you can receive.
-
Young adults can now stay on their parent's
plan. Young adults can stay on their parent's
health insurance plan up to age 26 if their job doesn't
provide health care benefits -- a huge relief for many
parents and recent college graduates.
-
Free preventive care. If you join or
purchase a new plan, the insurance company will be
required to provide preventive care like mammograms,
colonoscopies, immunizations, pre-natal and baby care
without charging you any out of pocket costs.
-
Freedom to choose your own doctor. If
you purchase or join a new plan, you have the right to
choose your own doctor in your insurer network.
-
No more restrictions on emergency room care.
Insurance companies will not be allowed to charge you
more for out of network emergency services if you
purchase or join a new a plan.
This is a long-overdue victory for American consumers and
patients. For years, millions of Americans have been at the
mercy of their insurance companies as they jacked up rates,
denied coverage or dropped patients all together.
Now, some opponents of this reform have pledged to "repeal
and replace" all of the progress we've made over the past
six months. But I refuse to go back to the days when
insurance companies could deny a child health care due to a
pre-existing condition or impose a lifetime limit on care
for a cancer patient. Those days are over.
The Affordable Care Act provides basic rules of the road
that make our health care system work for consumers. It
cuts costs and will help us begin to get our fiscal house in
order. And most importantly, it provides Americans with the
peace of mind that their insurance will be there for them
when they need it.
To learn more about the Patient’s Bill of Rights and the
Affordable Care Act, visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
Sincerely,
President Barack Obama
P.S. Last week, I surprised Gail O'Brien by calling her at
home. You can see what happened here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
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