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Sign Up for FORCE NewslettersThe ACA expanded health insurance protections
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) significantly expanded health 
insurance availability and consumer protections for Americans. The law contains several provisions that benefit people affected by cancer, banning the practice of charging more or denying health insurance coverage due to a pre-existing health condition, prohibiting health plans from putting annual or lifetime dollar limits on most benefits, and more.
Note that Medicare, Medicaid, grandfathered, short-term and catastrophic health plans are not required to abide by all of the ACA rules. For more information on the Affordable Care Act, visit healthcare.gov.
If you believe that your legal rights under the Affordable Care Act have been violated, you should contact the health insurer first to understand its coverage decision. If the issue cannot be resolved directly with the insurer, the next step is to contact your state insurance commissioner’s office. Finally, you can contact the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) Health Insurance Hotline at (410) 786-1565 or email: phig@cms.hhs.gov.
Related Resources
- From Coverage to Care is an initiative designed to help people understand their health coverage benefits, and connect to primary care and preventive services.
- Healthcare.gov is a website administered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that provides comprehensive information about health care and insurance provisions.
- The Office of Personnel Management provides ACA resources for Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) beneficiaries.
- The U.S. Department of Labor has a webpage on the Affordable Care Act for workers and families.