Even Americans who currently have coverage at work could be denied coverage if they lost their jobs and sought coverage in the individual market.
Under the health reform bill, insurers will be barred from excluding children with pre-existing conditions on Sept. 23, 2010, and from excluding adults with preexisting conditions on Jan. 1, 2014.
Meanwhile, starting on July 1, people denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions can buy insurance through state-based risk pools. The reform law provides $5 billion to fund the risk pools until the ban on pre-exiting conditions starts in 2014.
The Families USA’s study, based on data on health conditions from the federal Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, also found a diagnosed pre-existing condition in
- 15.9 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24.
- 35.3 percent those ages 45 to 54.
- 45.5 percent of those ages 55 to 64.
In addition, nearly 5 million children have such conditions.
Read Families USA’s release on health reform.
