Celiac Disease Foundation has launched a new Legislative Action Center to empower you, your family, and your friends to quickly and easily contact your elected Representatives about issues of concern to the celiac disease and non-celiac wheat/gluten sensitive community. We are urging you to use the Legislative Action Center right now to demand that your Representatives fight to retain critical advances in access to care and patient protections in whatever new health plan that emerges from Congress to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA, while far from perfect, was a step in the right direction for individuals and families impacted by chronic and potentially costly medical conditions, including celiac disease. We are coming together now to demand that the following patient protections be maintained:
- Prohibit pre-existing condition discrimination. Individuals must be able to equitably access comprehensive healthcare coverage regardless of their health status, diagnosis, and related factors.
- Prohibit lifetime and annual caps on insurance benefits. Any individual who purchases healthcare coverage must not be able to outspend that coverage.
- Allow children to stay on family coverage until age 26. Families with affected members face unique and serious financial challenges, and prolonged stability is essential.
- Limit out-of-pocket costs for patients. Enacting and preserving no-nonsense restrictions that cap out-of-pocket costs is the best way to keep coverage equitable and accessible to all.
Furthermore, the diagnosis rate for celiac disease is exceptionally low. Any changes in the ACA that further restrict access to care will only maintain or extend the diagnosis gap, thus exacerbating the suffering.
As the leading patient advocacy organization for celiac disease, we are making our voice heard in a larger, coordinated effort with other patient advocacy groups to retain common sense patient protections during the ACA “repeal and replace” debate. It is extremely important for legislators and others to hear from affected individuals, like you, as quantity of outreach and quality of outreach will both be important as the debate moves forward. Contact your Representatives today!
Celiac Disease Foundation Urges You to Contact Your Representatives about Preserving Critical Affordable Care Act Patient Protections