Can't see the pictures? Select "Always display images" or view this message in your browser.

Please do not reply to this email. To contact me, please click here and let me know your thoughts on how I can better represent your beliefs and values in our nation's Capitol. September 24, 2010 My Office is Here to Help You! Ed, I am grateful to you for assisting me in securing a humanitarian reassignment from my duty station in Iraqi to be with my wife, Tara, during her medical emergency. You and your staff helped me to be with my son and my ailing wife during her time of need. We are finally together as a family at Fort Stewart, and her medical condition is improving. This reunion would not have been possible without the intervention of you and your staff. Thank you Ed. Sincerely, Army Staff Sergeant Daniel Clark Ed with Army Sgt. Daniel Clark & Family Heath Care Reform Patient Bill of Rights Takes Effect Share this e-mail on: Facebook Twitter Yesterday marked six months since the passage of health care reform legislation and marks the implementation of the Patient Bill of Rights. These important provisions place patients in charge of their health care not the insurance companies. Listed below are the important provisions of the Patient Bill of Rights. If you are privately-insured: YOUR HEALTH COVERAGE CANNOT BE ARBITRARILY CANCELLED IF YOU BECOME SICK Up until now, insurance companies had been able to retroactively cancel your policy when you became sick, if you or your employer had made an unintentional mistake on your paperwork. Under the new law, health plans are now prohibited from rescinding coverage except in cases involving fraud or an intentional misrepresentation of facts. Due to pressure from Democrats in Congress and the Obama Administration, insurers agreed to begin implementing this protection early, this spring; so rescissions are now a thing of the past. This protection applies to all health plans. YOUR CHILD CANNOT BE DENIED COVERAGE DUE TO A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION Each year, thousands of children who were either born with or develop a costly medical condition are denied coverage by insurers. Research has shown that, compared to those with insurance, children who are uninsured are less likely to get critical preventive care including immunizations and well-baby checkups. That leaves them twice as likely to miss school and at much greater risk of hospitalization for avoidable conditions. The new law prohibits insurance plans both from denying coverage and limiting benefits for children based on a pre-existing condition. This protection applies to all health plans, except “grandfathered” plans in the individual market. These protections will be extended to Americans of all ages starting in 2014. YOUR CHILD UP TO AGE 26 CAN STAY ON YOUR HEALTH PLAN Young people are the most likely to be uninsured – with currently one in three young people having no health coverage. One reason is that young people are less likely to be offered coverage through their jobs. Under the new law, insurance companies are required to allow young people up to their 26th birthday to remain on their parents’ insurance plan, at the parent’s choice. This provision applies to all health plans. (For employer plans, only those young people not eligible for their own employer coverage receive the benefit, until 2014.) YOUR HEALTH PLAN CANNOT PUT A LIFETIME LIMIT ON YOUR HEALTH COVERAGE Millions of Americans who suffer from costly medical conditions are in danger of having their health insurance coverage vanish when the costs of their treatment hit lifetime limits. These limits can cause the loss of coverage at the very moment when patients need it most. Over 100 million Americans have coverage that imposes such lifetime limits. The new law prohibits the use of lifetime limits in all health plans. YOUR HEALTH PLAN’S ANNUAL LIMITS ARE PHASED OUT OVER THREE YEARS Even more aggressive than lifetime limits are annual dollar limits on what an insurance company will pay for health care. Annual limits are less common than lifetime limits – but 19% of individual market plans and 14% of small employer plans currently use them. The new law phases out the use of annual limits over the next three years. For plan years beginning on September 23, 2010, the minimum level for the annual limit will be set at $750,000. This minimum is raised to $1.25 million in a year and $2 million in two years. In 2014, all annual limits are prohibited. The protection applies to all plans, except “grandfathered” plans in the individual market. If you are purchasing a new plan, you will have the following additional protections: YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KEY PREVENTIVE SERVICES WITHOUT DEDUCTIBLE OR CO-PAYMENTS Today, too many Americans do not get the high-quality preventive care they need to stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, and lead productive lives. Nationally, Americans use preventive services at about half the recommended rate. Under the new law, insurance companies must cover recommended preventive services, including mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations, and pre-natal and new baby care, without charging deductibles, co-payments or co-insurance. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BOTH AN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPEAL Today, if your health plan tells you it won’t cover a treatment your doctor recommends, or it refuses to pay the bill for your child’s last trip to the emergency room, you may not know where to turn. Most plans have a process that lets you appeal the decision within the plan through an “internal appeal” – but there’s no guarantee that the process will be swift and objective. Moreover, if you lose your internal appeal, you may not be able to ask for an “external appeal” to an independent reviewer. The new law guarantees the right to an “internal appeal.” Also, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage for needed care without a chance to appeal to an independent third party. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN DOCTOR Being able to choose and keep your doctor is highly valued by Americans. Yet, insurance companies don’t always make it easy to see the provider you choose. One survey found that three-fourths of the OB-GYNs reported that patients needed to return to their primary care physicians for permission to get follow-up care. The new law: 1) guarantees you get to choose your primary care doctor; 2) allows you to choose a pediatrician as your child’s primary care doctor; and 3) gives women the right to see an OB-GYN without having to obtain a referral first. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACCESS TO OUT-OF-NETWORK EMERGENCY ROOM CARE AT IN-NETWORK COST-SHARING RATES Many insurers charge unreasonably high cost-sharing for emergency care by an out-of-network provider. This can mean financial hardship if you get sick or injured when you are away from home. The new law makes emergency services more accessible to consumers. Health plans will not be able to charge higher cost-sharing for emergency services that are obtained out of a plan’s network. Small Business Jobs Act Passes Congress Bill Now Goes to the President’s Desk Yesterday I voted to support H.R. 5297 – the Small Business Jobs Act – which will expand much needed lending to millions of small businesses and offer tax incentives to help small businesses grow, hire new employees, and move our economy forward. This legislation is fully paid for over 10 years, will not add to the deficit and is estimated to help small businesses create 500,000 new jobs. Lately, there has been a lot of talk from both sides of the aisle about helping small businesses by reducing their taxes and providing them more access to credit to allow them to hire new employees, buy inventory and expand. This bill does all of that and more. It is fully paid for and will not add to the deficit. It cuts taxes on small businesses by $12 billion dollars. Again, it cuts taxes for small businesses by $12 billion which will allow them to hire new employees and increase their investment in equipment and facilities. Click here more details about the Small Business Jobs Act. Job Resource Center The Job Resource Center is a clearinghouse of information for people looking for additional help about federal job opportunities, local workforce centers, how to improve their resume, interviewing skills and much more. In the past year I have held two successful Job Workshop events for constituents, helped save almost 4,000 Colorado aerospace related jobs by fighting to continue the Orion manned space flight project and helped secure a small business loan for Big Papas BBQ to open a third store and hire 40 new employees. Click here to view the Job Resource Center on my website and please check back often as content will continue to be updated. Veterans Oral History Project Documentary Wins Another Award 2010 Best Short Documentary at the 2010 Estes Park Film Festival In Times of War: Stories of Colorado Veterans recently won Best Short Documentary at the 2010 Estes Park Film Festival. The multiple award winning documentary was a joint production with my office and the Film School at the Community College of Aurora as part of the Veterans Oral History Project. Click here (scroll midway down) to view an edited version of the award winning film: The Wars We Fought: Frontline Stories of Colorado Veterans. The film was also shown at the 2009 G.I. Film Festival and won the Colorado Spotlight Award at the 2010 Indie Spirit Film Festival in Colorado Springs. Additionally, this film was produced as part of the Library of Congress’ Veterans Oral History Project. This is an ongoing project designed to document the stories and history of America’s veterans and preserve them in the Library of Congress. For more information or for opportunities to interview and record histories of Colorado veterans please contact my office at 303-274-7944 . Congressman Ed Perlmutter Unsubscribe

Washington DC Office 415 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202.225.2645 Fax: 202.225.5278 District Office 12600 West Colfax Avenue, Suite B-400 Lakewood, CO 80215 Phone: 303.274.7944 Fax: 303.274.6455