NBCC Applauds Supreme Court Decision on Affordable Care Act
Washington, DC, June 28, 2012
The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) has made access to quality health care for all a top legislative priority for many years. Today we applaud the Supreme Court's decision affirming the constitutionality of the "Affordable Care Act" (ACA) and consider it a victory for breast cancer survivors and all those at risk of the disease. While not perfect, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers true protection from many of the shortcomings of the health care system and marks an important step forward toward quality health care for all. Access to quality health care is vital in order to reach the Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® goal of ending breast cancer by January 1, 2020. The Supreme Court's decision today provides momentum toward this goal.
For breast cancer survivors, upholding the ACA means:
- No Pre-Existing Conditions - Beginning in 2014, group health plans and new individual plans will no longer be able to exclude breast cancer survivors from coverage or charge them a higher premium by defining breast cancer as a pre-existing condition.
- Lifetime and Annual Caps - Health insurance plans are prohibited from imposing lifetime caps on benefits, and the use of annual dollar limits is restricted. Beginning in 2014, annual limits will also be banned.
- No Rescission - Insurers can no longer cancel a breast cancer survivor's insurance policy when she or he needs it most.
- No Discrimination - Beginning in 2014, no longer will insurance plans be allowed to charge more simply because of gender, health status, location or participation in a clinical trial.
- Other Protections - Access to internal and external appeals processes; access to clear and standardized information about insurance options through a new web portal as well as through state-based health care consumer assistance programs; and the right to designate or retain a primary care provider.
It also means that patients will continue to have a voice in the process. Under the ACA, educated health care consumers will have an opportunity to play a role in a range of decision making bodies implementing health care reform.
