Nearly six months after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), Rep. Peter Welch on Monday announced new provisions of the health care law set to take effect this Thursday.

Passed by Congress and signed into law in March, H.R. 3590 will extend access to 32 million Americans, end abusive insurance company practices and cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years.

"The health care reform provisions taking effect this week will give Vermont families peace of mind. No longer will they be subject to the abusive practices of the insurance industry, like being denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or being dropped from a plan after becoming sick. No longer will families with uninsured young adult children stay up at night worrying about what will happen if their loved ones become ill," Welch said. "This legislation provides much-needed health care security and affordability to all Vermont families."

Provisions of H.R. 3590 that will take effect this Thursday include:

• Requiring insurance companies to allow young adults to stay on their parents' health care plan until they turn 26.

• No longer allowing insurance companies to impose lifetime limits on the amount health plans will spend on benefits.

• Barring insurance companies from canceling coverage for those who become sick.

• Ending the insurance industry practice of denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions.

Welch was joined at the event by Springfield Medical Care Systems CEO Glenn Cordner, who spoke about how the legislation will benefit Vermonters and the hospital's ongoing work to transform into a Federally Qualified Health Center.

To read more about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and view an implementation timeline, visit Rep. Welch's health care reform page by clicking here.