Health reform implementation

Coverage limits lifted for 105 million Americans thanks to health law, administration says

{mosads}”For years, Americans with lifetime caps imposed on their health insurance benefits have had to live with the fear that if an illness or accident happened, they could max out their health coverage when they needed it the most,” Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement announcing the report. “Now, because of the healthcare law, they no longer have to live in fear of that happening.”

According to the report, 59 percent of workers covered by their employers and 89 percent of people with individual market plans had lifetime limits on their coverage in 2009. That translates to 70 million people in large employer plans, 25 million people in small employer plans and 10 million people with individually purchased health insurance.

The administration also released updated state-by-state data on other benefits of the health law, including the number of Medicare beneficiaries receiving new preventive benefits and the various grants awarded to states.