On Saturday, November 7, the House of Representatives narrowly passed Health Care Reform legislation, winning a major battle for health care reformers and people with disabilities.
- People with disabilities can get affordable, adequate health care coverage
- No denial of coverage because of a disability or other chronic condition
- No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
Why is this good news for people with disabilities?
The House bill, if signed into law, would make it much easier for people with disabilities to get affordable, adequate health insurance.
Even if they are not covered by employment-related health insurance or a government program such as VA, the bill would insure that people with disabilities and chronic conditions be treated equally with others. Insurance companies would not be allowed to deny coverage, charge higher premiums, cover fewer services or fail to renew health insurance policies based on a disability or other pre-existing condition.
The bill does away with annual and lifetime caps on coverage. People with spinal cord or other traumatic injuries or illnesses often quickly exceed these caps. The result is they are left without health coverage from their existing insurer and unable to obtain it elsewhere.
The House bill also requires that health insurance cover rehabilitation, habilitation and durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, prosthetics and equipment.
The House bill also includes the CLASS Act–Community Living Assistance Services and Supports. This creates a voluntary payroll deduction program whereby people with disabilities will receive a cash benefit to pay for-and choose-the assistive services they need after paying into the system for five years. It allows people to stay employed (if they are able) and keep their Medicare or Medicaid benefits instead of having to go into a nursing home.
A big thank you to those of you who called your own representatives in Congress to urge a vote for health care reform. It makes a big difference, especially in a vote so close as this one-220 For and 215 Against.
What’s next? The Senate is working on its version of health reform and is unlikely to complete it before Thanksgiving. Once the Senate passes a bill, the House and Senate will work out their differences in a conference committee (unless leaders are otherwise able to work out a compromise). Then both the House and Senate must agree on one bill to send to the President for his signature, and if all goes well, health care reform will be the law of the land.
If I understand this correctly the house version includes the following on preexisting conditions- Right now, employers can “look back” six months to identify medical services or diagnoses that would trigger a preexisting condition. Under the House legislation, this period would be reduced to 30 days. Right now, employers can impose preexisting condition exclusions in certain circumstances for up to 12 months. The House legislation cuts this to three months.
Can someone explain to me how this benefits people with disabilities and chronic conditions? Looking back one month or six months will likely result in the same outcome for people with disabilities. Or am I not understanding this properly?
Robert,
I may be completely incorrect in what I am about to say below, but, you can consider this food for thought or discussion at least.
As Regards Pre-existing Conditions: I think the “looking back time frame” may actually refer to “a waiting period time frame” that you must satisfy before any healthcare services will be covered for conditions that existed during that specified time frame prior to the Insurance Coverage Effective Date.
I believe, that after you have completed or satisfied that waiting period time frame, the Insurance Company would then begin covering your healthcare services for the pre-existing conditions.
Again I may be totally wrong, but, I don’t think that the “look back” means that coverage for pre-existing conditions will be completely excluded for the life of your Policy, unless of course your Policy specifically states that certain specific health conditions and/or healthcare services are exclusions under your policy.