Delaware Senators Praise Administration’s Progress in Implementing Comprehensive Health Reform Law

WASHINGTON – Today, Delaware Sens. Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman released the following statement praising the Obama Administration’s progress in implementing the comprehensive health reform law.  Specifically the Senators praised regulations issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would implement a new Patient’s Bill of Rights under the health reform bill, The Affordable Care Act.  For most health insurance plans starting on or after September 23, new rules would stop insurance companies from excluding children with pre-existing conditions from coverage; prohibit insurers from rescinding or taking away coverage based on an unintentional mistake on an application; ban insurers from setting lifetime limits on coverage; and restrict insurance plans use of annual limits on coverage.

"Just three months ago, comprehensive health reform became law, marking a historic moment for our country after decades of struggle to fix our broken system," said Sens. Carper and Kaufman. "Delawareans and Americans have already benefited in several ways from this new law. Earlier this month seniors began receiving $250 rebate checks to help close the Medicare Part D ‘doughnut hole,’ and 65 of our nation’s largest insurance companies have agreed to allow young adults under the age of 26 to remain on their parents’ health insurance. In addition, many small businesses are now eligible for tax credits to ease the burden of providing health insurance for their employees and large employers can participate in an early retiree reinsurance program. Just as important, the implementation of the new Patient’s Bill of Rights will finally begin to end to some of the most troubling insurance company abuses while ensuring that patients can choose their own primary care doctors. Soon, patients won’t suffer from arbitrary limits on the amount of care one can receive and they won’t have to fear getting dropped from coverage when they need it the most."