The Month When Americans Began to Take Back Their Health Care! 

by Carrie Fitzgerald, Sr. Health Policy Associate, Child and Family Policy Center

Imagine you are the parent of a child born with congenital heart disease, or a child who developed asthma at a young age or as a teenager. You would want to know that your child had the right medical care, at the right time for their condition. Now imagine that the health insurance plan that covered your child said, "We'll cover everything except the asthma, or any heart issues." Before federal health law, in too many instances the insurance company could do just that, calling your child's medical diagnosis a "pre-existing condition";  insurance companies could deny coverage for the medications and treatment necessary for your child to thrive, grow and heal. Imagine the fear, worry, and potential danger that would cause.

Today, September 23^rd, six months after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law, insurance companies are prevented from doing this.  New plans cannot deny coverage to children based on pre-existing conditions. Children with asthma, congenital disorders, diabetes, or many other conditions requiring medical care can no longer be denied coverage for the treatment of that condition.  This is one of the provisions in federal health law that will have a positive impact on literally thousands of Iowa children and their families. (Please see the listed articles for information on grandfathered plans)

Iowa families with sick kids will be able to purchase private health coverage and participate in employer health plans knowing that all their children's health needs will be covered. Insurers can no longer deny children coverage or sell policies that exclude benefits for their pre-existing health conditions.

Families all over Iowa have children who have suffered under the old way of doing business. One doctor in Polk County told me about a patient diagnosed with bronchiolitis (a respiratory condition often caused by RSV) as an infant. When the family changed insurance two months later, the new insurance company refused to cover any pulmonary care. RSV is an extremely common infection in children. This exclusion would be like insurance classifying the common cold as a pre-existing condition and never covering subsequent sinus infections or pneumonia.  Insurance companies compete with one another by trying to minimize their liabilities. Citing pre-existing conditions has been one way to do that, but it doesn't make any sense to the people who need health coverage the most.  Federal law now provides a level playing field by requiring all insurers to cover such conditions.

It is estimated that up to one-quarter of Iowa children  have some special health care need. Most of their conditions could be classified as 'pre-existing." Now, because of this change in the law, their parents will no longer have to worry about accessing coverage, getting needed medicine, and getting the right care at the right time for their children