Affordable Care Act making progress in getting insurance coverage to people with pre-existing conditions

The Obama administration is claiming that the Affordable Care Act had reached a milestone last week. According to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, that nearly 50,000 people with pre-existing medical conditions have received health insurance through programs that were set up by the federal law. While this may be a significant accomplishment, many of the law’s critics claim that 50,000 is just a drop in the bucket, considering more than 25 million people with pre-existing conditions still do not have insurance of any kind.…

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Low enrollment in federal insurance program spurs a drop in premiums

Earlier this year, the federal government expanded the eligibility of a federal health insurance program to include those with preexisting conditions. The initiative was originally slated to take effect in 2014, along with the rest of the Affordable Care Act, but the Department of Health and Human Services enacted the new rules in an effort to ensure more people were receiving health insurance. The program, however, has been fraught with low enrollment, spurring the HHS to lower premiums by an average of 18% throughout the nation. The HHS hopes that…

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Pre-existing conditions insurance rules loosened

The federal government is making moves to make health insurance more affordable for those with pre-existing conditions. Today, officials expanded a program that was established as part of the new healthcare laws. Throughout the country, the government is lowering insurance rates on special policies that cover those with chronic conditions like cancer and diabetes. Furthermore, restrictions on who can apply for pre-existing condition insurance plans have been loosened, allow for more people to purchase such policies. Originally, the program was designed to help those with chronic illnesses receive temporary coverage…

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Living organ donors have a hard time finding health insurance

Living organ donors are facing some major challenges when it comes to obtaining insurance coverage. Organ donation can often be a tricky subject. Donation isn’t often associated with organs coming from a living patient, but rather one that is recently deceased. Living donors are commonplace, providing a kidney or a part of their liver to those in need. Many health insurers are now claiming that organ donation is equivalent to a pre-existing condition, making affordable coverage a real issue for living donors. While insurers are barred from explicitly denying coverage…

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