Patients Bill of Rights
The Affordable Care Act helps Americans be in charge of their health and make informed choices about health insurance. Under the law, the Patient’s Bill of Rights: • Provides coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. You may be eligible for health coverage under the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.
- Protects your choice of doctors. Choose a primary care doctor from your plan’s network.
- Keeps young adults covered. If you’re under age 26, you may be eligible to be covered under your parent’s health plan.
- Ends lifetime limits on coverage. Lifetime limits on most benefits are banned for all new health insurance plans.
- Ends pre-existing condition exclusions for children. Health plans can no longer limit or deny benefits to children under 19 due to a pre-existing condition.
- Ends arbitrary withdrawals of insurance coverage. Insurers can no longer cancel your coverage just because you made an honest mistake.
- Reviews premium increases. Insurance companies must now publicly justify any unreasonable rate hikes.
- Helps you get the most from your premium dollars. Your premium dollars must be spent primarily on health care, not administrative costs.
- Restricts annual dollar limits on coverage. Annual limits on your health coverage have been phased out.
- Removes insurance company barriers to emergency services. You can seek emergency care at a hospital outside of your health plan’s network.
- Covers preventive care at no cost to you. You may be eligible for recommended preventive health services. There’s no copayment.
- Guarantees your right to appeal. You have the right to ask that your plan reconsider its denial of payment.
