Skip to main content
State Seal State Seal State Seal
Home Button Home Button Home Button
 
 

State lawmakers highlight bill to protect healthcare coverage for Ohioans as President Biden visits Ohio

Say Biden's visit on anniversary of Affordable Care Act underscores need to protect Ohioans with pre-existing conditions
March 23, 2021
Democratic Newsroom

State Reps. Jeff Crossman (D- Parma) and Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today issued statements on President Joe Biden’s visit to Ohio, where the president will speak on the anniversary and importance of the Affordable Care Act at The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Center.

Reps. Crossman and Lightbody are sponsors of House Bill (HB) 125, the Pre-Existing Condition Protection Act, which would enshrine protections for people with pre-existing conditions into Ohio law. This effort became necessary due to persistent efforts by Republicans to negate popular Affordable Care Act (ACA) consumer protections through federal legislation and ongoing litigation.

“On the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, it’s critical for us to remind folks that popular health care protections for those with pre-existing conditions are under attack,” said Rep. Crossman. “President Biden knows how important it is to ensure every Ohioan and every American has access to the care they need. That’s why the president is here in Ohio today and why we need to pass the Pre-Existing Condition Protection Act to protect the health and security of millions of Ohioans. A year into this pandemic and with more than 18,000 deaths in Ohio alone, we’ve learned that the most likely reason to die from Covid-19 is due to an underlying condition. The last thing we should do right now is deny coverage to Ohioans.”

The Pre-Existing Protection Act would:

-Protect coverage for those with pre-existing conditions;
-Limit health insurance premium hikes;
-Ban annual and lifetime limits;
-Protect coverage of essential health benefits, like preventative, maternal and emergency care.

“While the American Rescue Plan will help bring down healthcare costs, it won’t matter if people get denied the coverage they need for having a pre-existing condition,” said Rep. Lightbody.  “Affordable, accessible healthcare is essential to building back an economy that works for everyone. President Biden knows this. It’s why he’s in Ohio today to commemorate the advances in healthcare coverage that came with the passage of the ACA, and why we continue to push our commonsense plan to protect coverage for the millions of Ohioans living with a pre-existing condition. Ohioans overwhelmingly support these consumer protections, and it’s important we make these protections permanent, especially now as we continue to respond to this pandemic.”

Reps. Crossman and Lightbody testified on the Pre-Existing Condition Protection Act before the Ohio House Insurance Committee Feb. 24.