Legislation will promote patient protections and insurance coverage should pending litigation on the national Affordable Care Act be successful in returning power to the states for improving healthcare
BATON ROUGE, LA – New Legislation has been introduced in the Louisiana Legislature to provide for the availability of guaranteed healthcare coverage for preexisting conditions and other patient protections should a ruling on the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act be upheld.
Following extensive discussions between Attorney General Landry, Speaker Barras, Health and Welfare Senate Chairman Mills, and Insurance Commissioner Donelon; new Legislation has been submitted by Senator Fred Mills as a framework in addressing preexisting healthcare conditions and patient protections.
The bill entitled, "Health Care Coverage for Louisiana Families Protection Act", prohibits the denial of healthcare insurance for preexisting conditions, eliminates lifetime limits on the dollar value of benefits and prohibits annual limits on the dollar value of essential benefits, allows for healthcare coverage on parent policies for any child until the age of 26, and ensures that any healthcare plan provide for essential health benefits including ambulance care, emergency services, maternity and newborn care, hospitalizations, pediatric care, and prescription drugs among others.
As Attorney General Jeff Landry and Speaker Taylor Barras noted in interviews last September, Louisiana Republicans believe people with preexisting health conditions should be protected. Working with Senator Fred Mills, Insurance Commissioner Donelon and other leaders a focus has been placed on expanding healthcare choices, increasing coverage, patient protections, and reducing healthcare premiums. The legislation introduced provides an initial framework in reaching those goals.
A MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD TO DISCUSS THIS LEGISLATION:
Last December, a federal court ruled the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) is unconstitutional. This followed years of additional problems with the plan including cost overruns, the cancellation of some private health insurance policies, and the loss in choice of doctor for some patients. Should the ruling be upheld, the power to improve healthcare returns to the states for local solutions.
