Hernandez-Backed Law to Protect Illinoisans with Pre-existing Conditions Goes Into Effect

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Legislation supported by state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, to prevent health insurance companies from denying care to Illinois residents with pre-existing conditions went into effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

“Healthcare is one of the most important and personal aspects of a person’s life,” Hernandez said. “This legislation was needed in order to protect the people across our state who were at risk of losing their healthcare coverage due to proposed federal changes by Donald Trump and his extreme allies in Washington.”

Hernandez supported state-level protections for people with pre-existing conditions like cancer, diabetes or heart disease. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly 26 percent of nonelderly people in Illinois have a pre-existing condition. The Hernandez-backed House Bill 2959 prevents insurance companies selling policies in Illinois from discriminating against those most in need of care, regardless of changes to federal healthcare law.

“We need a healthcare system that works for people, not for the bottom-line of big insurance companies,” Hernandez said. “With these protections in place, seniors and working families in Illinois will now be able to go about their everyday lives without the fear of being denied coverage because of their medical history.”