NORD Runs Full-Page Ad Calling For an End to Lifetime Caps

A full-page ad by NORD in today’s edition of The Politico, a newspaper distributed widely on Capitol Hill and throughout Washington DC, urges the immediate end of annual and lifetime insurance caps. As you know, private insurers may set lifetime and/or annual caps on the amount of health care coverage an individual may have.

Many Americans with chronic diseases, rare disorders, or major medical crises exhaust their insurance benefits under this system, forcing families into financial crisis or even bankruptcy. NORD feels very strongly that annual and lifetime caps on health insurance must be ended immediately.

NORD’s reason for running the ad is as follows: The Senate health reform bill currently under consideration is believed by many to include provisions for ending lifetime and annual caps. However, certain provisions currently within that bill would allow continuation of the caps for a period of years or in many cases indefinitely. NORD is calling for changes in the language of the bill to do away with these loopholes.

To view NORD’s ad, click here.  We will keep our members and friends informed of any new developments on this important issue.  In the meantime, if you have stories to share with NORD about how annual or lifetime caps have affected you or your members, please feel free to send them to lifetimecaps@rarediseases.org

December 14, 2009