Obama Marks Six-Month Anniversary Of Health Care Reform, Touts Insurance Changes

President Obama attended a pair of events today designed to highlight the six-month anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, the legislation to reform the health insurance system in the U.S.

The President met in the morning with the insurance commissioners from 32 states as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. After the meeting, three of the commissioners told the press that they raised some concerns over the implementation of the new law and provisions requiring regulators to ensure that the bulk of premiums go toward medical care, or the medical-loss ratio.

The commissioners, who included Wayne Goodwin of North Carolina, Jane Cline of West Virginia and Roger Sevigny of New Hampshire, also said that there is some concern over the stipulation that health insurance would be sold without penalizing children with preexisting conditions. The preexisting condition clause for children goes into effect tomorrow, and begins for adults in 2014.

Commissioner Goodwin said that his state was able to provide refunds to policy holders and had the lowest rate for insurance in years. He said that North Carolina was able to do this because the insurance companies had “excess contract reserves.” 

Later, President Obama held a forum in the backyard of Falls Church, Virginia residents Paul and Frances Brayshaw to highlight the parts of the bill that will take effect tomorrow. Paul has had a lifelong battle with hemophilia.

The President drew attention to provisions that would prohibit insurance providers from removing children from policies due to preexisting conditions and stop companies from dropping coverage when people get sick or make a technical mistake on their application. He also touted the end of lifetime limits on coverage as well as bans on providers’ abilities to limit policyholders’ choice of doctors and place restrictions on emergency room care. The President also emphasized that  young adults up to twenty-six years old can be covered on their parents’ health insurance policies under the new law.

The input from his audience was mainly praise for the changes in the health care law.