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Today, President Obama signed the 'Patient Protection and Affordable
Health Care Act'  into law.  The historic legislation, decades in the
making, will significantly reform the nation's health care system.

Setting aside the politics and views of pundits and pollsters, there
is no question that this law will have a profound affect on the
millions of Americans with chronic medical conditions like celiac
disease. There is simply no disputing that it is unfair, and in some
cases unconscionable, to deny health insurance to an individual who
has: celiac disease, high blood pressure, diabetes (Type I or II) or
to a woman who has had a C-section.  The new law puts an end to that
practice and more.

Within the next year:

--  Health Insurers will not be able to deny coverage to children
because of pre-existing conditions;

-- Young adults will be able to remain on their parents' health
insurance until age 26;

-- Existing health insurance plans will be barred from placing
lifetime caps on coverage;

-- Insurers will no longer be able to cancel insurance retroactively,
unless there is proof of fraud;

-- A temporary high-risk pool will be created for adults with
pre-existing conditions so they can obtain insurance coverage; and

-- All new insurance plans will be required to cover preventive care.

Additional reforms are included in the reconciliation package (H.R.
4872) which will be voted on in the is being debated in Senate this
week.


On a personal note, I have worked on health issues and health reform
since arriving in Washington, DC in 1987.   It is very rewarding to
know that those efforts, as small as they may have seemed at the time,
helped to lay the foundation for today's achievement.  As a parent, it
is even more gratifying knowing what it means for my son, now 12, who
was diagnosed with celiac disease at age three and a half.  This law
will protect him and allow me to quietly put to rest the question,
'What happens if I were to lose my health insurance?'


Andrea Levairo
Executive Director
American Celiac Disease Alliance

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