WH Blog: Cathy, a voice for health reform

Posted by Stephanie Cutter on January 18, 2011 at 8:20 AM EST

For too long, too many Americans struggled in the health insurance marketplace. Double digit premium increases with no recourse or accountability made it difficult for families to afford the cost of care.

This left them with no other option. Americans could be denied coverage if they had a pre-existing condition or have their coverage cancelled or capped when they got sick.

High costs were making it difficult for businesses to expand and create jobs, and to compete in a global economy.

The government release a report today that says 129 million Americans have a pre-existing condition.

If you haven’t struggled in the health care system yourself, you’ve probably met someone who has – seniors who struggled to pay for their prescription drugs, families whose children were denied coverage for a pre-existing condition and business owners who couldn't afford to provide high benefits to their employees. 

Thankfully, the Affordable Care Act is already changing all of this. Over the coming days, you’ll have a chance to hear directly from some of those Americans who are already benefiting through a new online feature, Voices of Health Reform.

Every day, you can hear from average Americans about how the new law is making the health care system better for them.

Today, we’re highlighting Cathy Lynn Howell Allen from Marblehead, OH. Cathy is a healthy and energetic small business owner, but before the Affordable Care Act became law, she couldn’t get insurance because she had a pre-existing condition.

The government report also indicates that up to 50 per cent of Americans will have a pre-existing condition before they reach 65. 

source: http://www.healthcare.gov/center/reports/preexisting.html

Subscribe to the Rightardia feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UFPYA 

Netcraft rank: 6497 http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?url=http://rightardia.blogspot.com