Frankel celebrates House passage of his bill to prohibit health insurance coverage caps, urges state Senate to act swiftly

Rep. Dan B. Frankel    October 9, 2024 | 2:43 PM

HARRISBURG, Oct. 9 –The Pennsylvania House today passed landmark legislation introduced by state Rep. Dan Frankel that would prohibit annual and lifetime limits on health insurance policies across the commonwealth.

Frankel, who is majority chair of the House Health Committee, said his H.B. 2562 would ensure that all Pennsylvanians are guaranteed access to essential health care, regardless of federal actions or court decisions that could impact existing protections.

“No family should be forced to choose between life-saving treatment and financial ruin because their insurance arbitrarily cuts them off when they need it most,” said Frankel. “By passing House Bill 2562, we are taking a stand to ensure that Pennsylvanians are protected, no matter what happens in Washington or the courts.”

Currently, protections against annual and lifetime limits are in place under the Affordable Care Act. However, with ongoing legal challenges and political threats to the ACA, the passage of H.B. 2562 is a crucial step toward enshrining these protections into Pennsylvania state law, providing residents peace of mind and ensuring that health care remains a right, not a privilege.

The legislation passed as part of a three-bill legislative package to enshrine ACA protections into state law. The other bills include:

  • H.B. 2563, by Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, which would allow parents to keep their adult children on their health insurance plan until age 26, and
     
  • H.B. 2564, by Rep. Jim Haddock, which would prohibit health insurers from denying or excluding coverage based on a preexisting condition.

House passage of the bills was met with broad support from both lawmakers and advocates. The bills are now in the hands of the Pennsylvania Senate, where they await further action.

“We’ve done our part in the House to safeguard Pennsylvania’s health care, and now the Senate must step up to do the same,” Frankel said, noting that failure to act places already struggling Pennsylvanians at risk. “Let’s not forget who is most affected by these limits: people with chronic illnesses, children with serious medical conditions and families who are already facing the hardest battles of their lives.”