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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Pierluisi Underscores the Importance of Federal Health Care Reform

Washington, DC—The Resident Commissioner, Pedro Pierluisi, today reiterated the benefits that residents of Puerto Rico will receive under the federal Affordable Care Act and characterized as unfortunate the intention of the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives to vote for its repeal.

“The approval of health care reform legislation last Congress was an unprecedented action on behalf of the citizens of this country. In the case of the American citizens residing in Puerto Rico, the legislation constituted an extraordinary step forward in our efforts to combat that disparities that we have historically suffered in this area,” said Pierluisi.


“From my perspective, it is unfortunate—indeed, unacceptable—that today the House of Representatives is voting to repeal a law that protects patients’ rights and prohibits abusive actions on the part of insurance companies throughout the nation, including in Puerto Rico,” added the Resident Commissioner.

Pierluisi noted that the government of Puerto Rico has already approved legislation to enshrine in local law the consumer protections established in the Affordable Care Act, among them the prohibition on discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions; the prohibition on rescinding coverage except in the case of fraud; the prohibition on annual or lifetime limits on health care benefits; the prohibition on requiring co-payments from patients for certain preventive health services; and the requirement that insurance companies make dependent coverage available to children until age 26.

Under the Affordable Care Act, federal funding for Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program will triple over the next decade. The law also authorizes Puerto Rico to establish a health care exchange beginning in 2014 and provides $925 million in federal funding to help eligible individuals afford insurance in this marketplace of private plans regulated by the federal government.