New Transitional Federal Law Provides Health Insurance to Patients with Pre-existing Conditions

Interview with Jennifer Jaff, executive director, Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

As part of health care reform law passed last March, federal regulations were issued on July 30 for a new temporary insurance plan in all states for adults with pre-existing medical conditions and no health insurance. Thirty states are inaugurating their own plans, while in the other 20 states' plans will be administered directly by the federal government. Advocates say the new program is a major improvement over the status quo, where such insurance coverage was astronomically expensive and thus out of reach for most of those in need.

But the new insurance plans are still expensive. They will remain in place until 2014, when all insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions will be handled under the federal healthcare reform legislation. Children with pre-existing conditions are already covered.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Jennifer Jaff, executive director of the Connecticut-based group, Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, which provides free information and advocacy to people seeking advice on how to secure and retain health insurance coverage. She talks about how the new federal system will work for people with pre-existing conditions and what challenges remain.

For more information, visit Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness's website at www.advocacyforpatients.org

LISTEN to the interview by clicking on one of the links below:

RealAudio:
btlonline.org/2010/ram/jaff081310.ram

MP3:
btlonline.org/download/jaff081310.mp3

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

RealAudio:
btlonline.org/2010/ram/btl081310.ram

MP3
btlonline.org/download/

SEE the Between the Lines website by clicking on the link below:

www.btlonline.org

***********************************

For more information please write to: mail-AT-btlonline.org

"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
Between the Lines
c/o Squeaky Wheel Productions
P.O. Box 110176
Trumbull, CT 06611
*
www.squeakywheel.net/