Share:
Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 31, 2023 03:56 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Vincent J. Hughes and Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, Sen. Lisa M. Boscola, Sen. James R. Brewster, Sen. Amanda M. Cappelletti, Sen. Maria Collett, Sen. Carolyn T. Comitta, Sen. Jay Costa, Sen. Jimmy Dillon, Sen. Marty Flynn, Sen. Art Haywood, Sen. John I. Kane, Sen. Timothy P. Kearney, Sen. Nick Miller, Sen. Katie J. Muth, Sen. Steven J. Santarsiero, Sen. Nikil Saval, Sen. Judith L. Schwank, Sen. Sharif Street, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, Sen. Anthony H. Williams, Sen. Lindsey M. Williams |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Prohibiting Annual or Lifetime Limits on Health Insurance Policies |
| In the near future, we plan on re-introducing Senate Bill 52 which prohibits health insurance policies within the Commonwealth from imposing either an annual or lifetime limit. A recent ruling in Texas nullified the preventive care requirements in the federal essential health benefits nationwide. Unfortunately, this serves as a reminder of how fragile many of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) protections are. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health insurance companies could impose annual or lifetime limits on coverage for health insurance policies. It is estimated that prior to the federal prohibition on annual and lifetime limits, nearly 102 million Americans nationwide had a health insurance policy that was subject to either an annual or lifetime limit. Once these limits were reached, a policy holder or their family would be required to pay 100% of medical expenses out of pocket. This saddled individuals and families with debt and forced some to declare bankruptcy. Annual or lifetime limits typically affect individuals with chronic medical conditions, such as cancer, mental illness, or addiction, that require constant treatment and drug therapies. According to estimates from the Departments of Human Services and Insurance, 4.5 million Pennsylvanians have benefited from the Federal prohibition on annual and lifetime limits. Under our legislation, insurance policies sold or renewed in the Commonwealth, after the effective date of the bill, may not include an annual or lifetime limit. By placing these protections in state law, we will ensure they survive future litigation relating to the constitutionality of the ACA as well as changes in policies at the Federal level. Please join us in ensuring Pennsylvania law provides this important protection for the Commonwealth’s residents. If you have any questions, please contact our office. |
Introduced as SB52