Key Affordable Care Act Rules Announced Today

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor announced the release of three proposed rules that are key to implementing the Affordable Care Act. Together, these rules mark a significant step forward in making some of the most important protections in the health care law a reality for consumers. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of the consumer health organization Families USA, about the rules:

“Today’s release includes rules that will put an end to health insurance discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. Under the rules, starting in 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage or charge higher premiums for people with health problems.

“These rules make clear that the practice of putting the sickest people into one insurance product, causing their premiums to get increasingly higher, will no longer be permitted. The rules also prohibit insurers from charging people unreasonably high premiums due to their age. For health plans sold to small businesses and directly to individuals, the rules guarantee the provision of essential health benefits, including prescription drug coverage, for all plan enrollees.

“Families USA was particularly pleased that today's release included new rules to ensure that wellness programs are reasonably designed to help participants improve their health and are not a backdoor way to charge discriminatory, higher premiums to people in less-than-perfect health. These rules will help ensure that health insurers and employers can help consumers avoid chronic diseases without exposing consumers to unaffordable health care costs.

“We commend the agencies for the release of these critical rules and look forward to working with them further to make real the promise of the Affordable Care Act.”

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org