Has access to health care for people with preexisting conditions worsened since the passage of the Affordable Care Act?
By Jacqueline Agustin
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NO
Under the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance companies cannot refuse to cover patients with preexisting conditions or charge them more for coverage. From 2013 to 2015, 16.5 million non-elderly adults gained coverage; of these, 2.6 million had pre-existing conditions.
Before the law was passed in 2010, insurers could charge higher premiums, limit benefits or deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. In early 2010, 19% of individual insurance applications were denied, most often for health reasons. The ACA incorporated earlier limited protections for some patients with preexisting conditions, while broadening protection across the population.
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