WASHINGTON, DC (September 23, 2010) — Millions of people in the U.S. will see their health security improve when several provisions of the Affordable Care Act become effective today. These features of the reform law will enable many people to obtain or keep coverage that was previously unavailable or unaffordable:

• Insurance companies can no longer exclude a child from coverage because he or she has a pre-existing medical condition;
• No one can be dropped from their health insurance policy because they become too sick or their care too expensive;
• No one will see their health benefits rescinded due to "lifetime limits" on coverage, which are now prohibited;
• Many health plans are required to provide free preventive services (no copays or deductibles); and
• Parents can keep their adult children on their health insurance policies until the age of 26.

"These are a few of the many benefits that health reform will bring to vulnerable people, especially as our nation continues to encounter economic difficulty and uncertainty," said Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). "Our association will continue to work with government and partner organizations to ensure that these and other provisions are carried as effectively as possible and in a manner consistent with our values."

The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), founded in 1915, supports the Catholic health ministry's commitment to improve the health status of communities and create quality and compassionate health care that works for everyone. The Catholic health ministry is the nation's largest group of not-for-profit health systems and facilities that, along with their sponsoring organizations, employ more than 750,000 women and men who deliver services combining advanced technology with the Catholic caring tradition.