New Patient’s Bill Of Rights Under The Health Care Reform Bill

Discover the new patient's bill of rights under the Affordable Care Act.

NEW PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS UNDER THE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL 11/22/10

The new health care law, called the affordable care act, created a new patient’s bill of rights. This new bill of rights provides valuable solutions to some common health care problems.

We’ve made a list of 4 important new health care rights that families have gained as a result of our new health care law.

First is: kids under 19 can’t be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. This is very important because each year thousands of children are denied health insurance coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Those conditions sometimes are from birth, and sometimes they are developed along the way. Now coverage for kids under 19 can’t be denied.

Second: your insurance can no longer be cancelled due to mistakes in your paperwork. Before this law change, insurers would sometimes retroactively cancel a person’s insurance policy if a mistake in the paperwork was later discovered. Now that can’t be done.

Third, there are no longer lifetime coverage limits. Folks with very expensive medical conditions are often surprised to learn that their coverage ends at the time they need it the most: when costs become catastrophic. Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you. Take a look at your policy. More than 100 million Americans have policies with lifetime limits. Now, under the new law, those lifetime limits are eliminated.

Also note that many policies impose annual coverage limits. The new law phases out these annual limits over the next 3 years.

Fourth: the new law protects your right to pick your own doctor. Americans value the ability to pick their own doctor. The new law makes it clear that you can choose your own primary doctor from doctors that participate in your health care plan.

The new health care law creates a new patient bill of rights. Make sure you understand your new rights, so that you get the health care you deserve.