Top-level Democrats voice support of ‘patient protection’ bill
Courtesy / Senate Democrats Office
Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, testified at a public hearing Tuesday in favor of LD 1, "An Act to Protect Health Care Coverage for Maine Families," as the first bill of the 129th Legislature to be submitted.
Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, testified in support of LD 1, “An Act To Protect Health Care Coverage for Maine Families,” at Tuesday’s public hearing in Augusta.
A representative of Gov. Janet Mills also testified in favor of the bill co-sponsored by Jackson and Gideon, which would require insurance companies to include basic patient protections in health care plans offered in Maine.
In Maine, there are an estimated 230,000 non-elderly adults living with pre-existing conditions. In addition to ensuring that no Mainer living with pre-existing conditions is denied health care coverage, the legislation also prohibits charging seniors substantially higher rates due to age.
Other provisions contained in Part A of the bill:
- It bans lifetime and annual caps on coverage.
- Allows young adults up to age 26 to remain on their parents’ insurance.
- Requires 10 essential health benefits, such as ambulance services, prescription drugs and pediatric care.
- Stipulates that available plans must be presented in an easy-to-read format.
“The purpose of this bill is to ensure that consumer protections related to health insurance coverage included in the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are codified in state law,” according to the summary posted on the legislative website.
In Part B, the bill requires that, at a minimum, health plans cover essential health benefits that are substantially similar to those benefits required for health plans subject to the ACA as of Jan. 1, 2019. The bill directs Maine Superintendent of Insurance Eric Cioppa to define essential health benefits and designates those rules as subject to legislative review and approval.
“If recent weeks have taught us anything, it is that we cannot put the fate of critical health care protections for tens of thousands of Mainers in the hands of someone else,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. “Maine can do more to strengthen its laws protecting critical coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and other essential health benefits like mental health, maternity and newborn care. That’s why this administration is moving immediately, in concert with the Legislature, to help protect Mainers with pre-existing conditions, regardless of what happens at the federal level.”
Jackson sponsored similar legislation last session, which was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Paul R. LePage. This session’s bill comes in response to last December’s court ruling out of Texas threatening the constitutionality of the ACA and the patient protections that come with it.
“At the end of the day, quality, affordable health care coverage is about the freedom of Mainers to go about their lives without worrying what will happen if they get sick or injured,” Jackson said in a statement. “With the instability in Washington and around the country about the fate of the Affordable Care Act, I want Mainers, especially those with preexisting conditions, to rest assured that we will protect their right to quality care. We still have a long way to go to make prescription drugs more affordable, close the distance between health care professionals and patients and close gaps in coverage. However, I am hopeful this bill will give Mainers peace of mind as we work to achieve these goals.”
Gideon said LD 1’s goal is to provide “affordable and accessible health care for every Maine family.”
“From the closings of many of our rural hospitals to the outrageous cost of prescription drugs to a crippling opioid epidemic, our problems are real,” said Speaker Sara Gideon. “At the national level, constant changes to the ACA continue to be proposed with various federal actions and ongoing lawsuits further complicating the state of health care for Americans. All of this creates great uncertainty for Mainers, threatening their confidence that healthcare access and coverage will be there when they need it. This legislation helps to provide one much needed piece of stability.”
LD 1 faces further action in the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, as well as votes in the Senate and House.
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