Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Saves Lives

February 23, 2012

Website Link  http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/02/20120223a.html

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pdf File HHS report 'Covering People with Pre-Existing Conditions' (376KB) [download]

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius  announced that the new health care law's Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program is providing insurance to nearly 50,000 people with high-risk pre-existing conditions nationwide. The Department released a new report demonstrating how PCIP is helping to fill a void in the insurance market for consumers with pre-existing conditions who are denied insurance coverage and are ineligible for Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

"For too long, Americans with pre-existing conditions were locked out of the health care system and their health suffered," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "Thanks to health reform, our most vulnerable Americans across the country have the care they need."

Under the Affordable Care Act, in 2014, insurers will be prohibited from denying coverage to any American with a pre-existing condition. Until then, the PCIP program will continue to provide enrollees with affordable insurance coverage.