A set of three bills were passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with bipartisan support on Wednesday, aiming to put provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) into state law. The bills specify that these state-level rules would only come into effect if Congress were to repeal the corresponding part of the ACA, a court invalidated it, or a future president failed to enforce it.
The bills cover key elements of the ACA, such as prohibiting health insurers from enacting annual or lifetime benefit caps on essential health services, allowing parents to keep their children on a family health insurance plan until age 26, and prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing conditions.
The ACA has faced legal and political challenges since it was passed in 2010, but public opinion has improved over time. Despite previous attempts by Republicans to repeal the law, including a failed attempt in 2017, interest in eliminating it has waned. The bills that passed the Pennsylvania House received support from Democrats and over half of the Republican caucus.
The bills will now go to the state Senate for further consideration. Some Republicans have expressed concerns about the speculative nature of the bills in response to potential future court rulings. However, supporters of the bills argue that enshrining these protections in state law is necessary to ensure that Pennsylvania residents have access to necessary healthcare services.
Source
Photo credit www.pennlive.com