By Kathleen Sebelius
News-Leader.com
August 11, 2011
Last week I visited the St. John's hospital system in rural Missouri that is providing critical access to care for thousands who would otherwise have to delay or put off treatment. We discussed some of the challenges that people often face in rural America including limited insurance options, fewer doctors and nurses, and higher out-of-pocket expenses.
As a former governor of Kansas, I understand these challenges and I am proud to serve in an administration committed to strengthening rural communities by improving health.
There is no better example of that commitment than the Affordable Care Act that President Obama signed into law last year. It ensures more freedom in health care choices, reduces costs, and improves the quality of care for all Americans, but especially for those in rural communities.
As the law continues to take effect, we want to make sure Americans are taking advantage of some of the most important early benefits and protections.
The law contains a Patient's Bill of Rights, which is bringing an end to the worst abuses of insurance companies. Children can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition -- a protection that will be extended to all Americans in 2014. And insurers are now forbidden from using an accidental error in your application to cancel your coverage if you get sick.
The law is also helping small businesses -- which employ nearly two-thirds of rural Americans -- to offer health insurance to their employees. Today, small businesses pay about 18 percent more than large firms for the same insurance policy. The law offers many employers with fewer than 25 employees a tax credit of up to 35 percent of the cost of premiums if they provide workers with health insurance. In Missouri, that means real relief for the 94,318 eligible small businesses. Companies that already offer insurance are seeing the benefit in their bottom line.
To help ensure that families don't have to put off the care they need, new insurance plans must provide preventive care -- such as mammograms and colonoscopies -- free of charge. This common sense change should keep Americans healthier and prevent costly illnesses.
For years, many rural families have had to choose between a few powerful insurance companies. To foster competition between insurers and bring down costs, the law calls for the creation of state-based health insurance marketplaces in 2014 that will give small-business owners and families choices for affordable private insurance plans.
To learn more about this law and see how it might benefit you and your family, visit www.healthcare.gov.
No matter where they chose to live, residents in rural areas need access to affordable, quality health care.
The Affordable Care Act is moving that vision forward, supporting rural caregivers and bringing new doctors and nurses to rural communities. It is holding insurers accountable. And it is giving rural Americans more affordable options for better quality coverage.
Kathleen Sebelius is secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.