Court ruling a victory for cancer patients
July 2, 2012 8:08PM
Updated: August 5, 2012 6:08AM
Court ruling a victory for cancer patients
The U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold the federal health care law ensures that critical protections benefiting cancer patients and survivors will be implemented. Many American Cancer Society volunteers have worked with our legislators telling the stories of cancer patients and encouraging them to vote for this legislation. We have heard sad stories about those who did not have health insurance and the financial hardships they faced.
But more importantly, these cancer victims were losing hope. Can you imagine what it must be like to have a serious diagnosis and be afraid to seek treatment because your insurance may not cover the costs and your insurance coverage may “max” out? And then what do you do? What about the fear of the diagnosis? I have heard people say, “Please don’t write that down because my insurance company may not cover me if I have cancer.”
Now, we all have hope because there will be no discrimination because of a pre-existing condition, and there will be no maximum amount for the insured.
The ruling is a victory for people with cancer and their families, who for too long have been denied health coverage, charged far more than they can afford for lifesaving care and forced to spend their life savings on necessary treatment — simply because they have a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies will be required to provide consumers with easy-to-read summaries about their coverage and requiring health plans in the individual market to offer essential benefits needed to prevent and treat a serious condition such as cancer.
The ruling also preserves vital provisions in the health care law that are already in effect and that are improving the ability of people with cancer and their families to access needed care by ensuring that proven cancer screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies are offered at no cost to patients, eliminating arbitrary dollar limits on coverage that can suddenly end care and prohibiting insurance companies from unfairly revoking coverage when a person gets sick.
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, it is time for all of our elected officials in Illinois to work together in a bipartisan effort to implement the health care law as strongly as possible for cancer patients, survivors and their families.
Nancy I. Webb
Volunteer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Montgomery
