Health Care Law Supporters Hoping to Send Signal to High Court

Jun 13, 2012 11:52am

The Supreme Court isnt expected to rule until later this month on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, but theres been some interesting developments as outside interest groups prepare for what they say might occur.

This week a few of the larger health insurancecarriers UnitedHealth, Aetna and Humana announced that no matter how the Supreme Court rules on the health care law, they would allow some of the more popular insurance reforms to go forward. UnitedHealth, for instance, said it would allow young adults to stay on their parents health plans, a popular provision of the lawthat is currently in effect.

The protections we are voluntarily extending are good for peoples health, promote broader access to quality care and contribute to helping control rising health care costs. These provisions make sense for the people we serve, and it is important to ensure they know these provisions will continue, said Stephen J. Hemsley, president and CEO of UnitedHealth Group, in a statement.

Read More About the Insurance Companies Announcement

But today a public interest group supporting the health care law Health Care for America Now issued the following warning: Dont be fooled by the Big Insurance Companies.

In the statement the group said that the insurance companieswere going on a PR offensive and hoping to send a signal tothe high court:

The coordinated announcements by three of the five biggest health insurance companies is a cynical tactic to signal to the high court that its okay to gut the law and remove its consumer protections because the health insurance companies will act responsibly and police themselves. No more insurance company abuses. The free market wont cost consumers their health anymore. The insurers message to the court, it would seem, is that its a new day so we can stick with the old rules.

And what Health Care for America now says what will really happen is this:

What the insurance companies didnt say and what they wont do is the real story. They arent saying they will stop discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions as the law requires beginning in 2014. That would be a big deal, because that part of the law will stop 129 million people with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma from being overcharged or being denied coverage. They also have not offered to keep covering children with pre-existing conditions a provision which has already taken effect and insurers have fought.

See the article here:

Health Care Law Supporters Hoping to Send Signal to High Court

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