General Assembly Safeguards Affordable Care Act’s Ban on Lifetime and Annual Limits Protecting Rhode Island Health Insurance Consumers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Contact: Karen Malcolm, 401-585-9799, protectrihealth@gmail.com
PROVIDENCE – The Protect Our Healthcare Coalition, a group of leading Rhode Island non-profits and consumer groups working for the protection, improvement, and expansion of equitable access to quality, person-centered, affordable health care for all, applauds the Rhode Island General Assembly on the passage of the bills to safeguard the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against annual and lifetime limits in health coverage. The legislation (H7091A/S2382A) was sponsored by Senator Joshua Miller in the Senate and Representative Rebecca Kislak in the House.
“Before the implementation of the Federal ACA, coming up against insurance barriers was much more common. In 2009, 374,000 Rhode Islanders, more than half of those with private health insurance, were enrolled in plans with fairly low lifetime limits of just $1 - $2 million. Many of those who came up against a limit were forced to forgo care or spend all of their savings to get care, with many people forced to turn to Medicaid,” notes Nina Harrison, Policy Director at the Economic Progress Institute, a leader in the coalition.
The bill's passage is the culmination of a multi-year effort led by the Coalition to codify many important patient protections in the Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). It follows the passage last year of legislation, sponsored by Senator Miller and Representative June Speakman, safeguarding the ACA’s guaranteed access to coverage, its protections for those with pre-existing conditions, and its mandates that require health insurance to include coverage of essential health benefits and no-cost preventive care.
Shamus Durac, Senior Attorney / Policy Analyst at RIPIN and Interim Chair of the coalition, notes, “At a time when the Affordable Care Act remains under siege in the courts, we commend the Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives for their work over several legislative sessions to prioritize access to healthcare for Rhode Islanders by codifying the ACA’s important patient protections in state law.”
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Protect Our Healthcare Coalition partners and allies include: Economic Progress Institute, RIPIN, Mental Health Association RI, RI NOW, RI Health Center Association, United Way of Rhode Island, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, SEIU Rhode Island Council, Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families, Womxn Project, HousingWorks RI, Rhode Island Organizing Project (RIOP), National Association of Social Workers RI Chapter, Thundermist Health Center, Foster Forward, RI Medical Society, RI Coalition for the Homeless, Rhode Island Working Families Party, Mental Health Recovery Coalition, Oasis Wellness & Recovery Center, RI Community Food Bank, RI Psychological Association, Advocates for Better Care