Obama: health plan to include consumer protections

RALEIGH, N.C. — Senators reported progress on legislation to overhaul the nation’s health care Wednesday as President Barack Obama introduced a retooled message asserting his plan would protect Americans and limit insurers’ power.

“We have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn’t always work well for you,” Obama told more than 2,000 people in a North Carolina high school gymnasium. “What we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable.”

Back in Washington, senators trying to reach a bipartisan compromise reported progress paring the costs of the plan as they push for a deal this week on legislation that they hope will appeal to the political middle.

Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the Democrat leading the negotiations among three Democrats and three Republicans, said new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office show the plan that’s taking shape would cover 95 percent of Americans by 2015, and cost about $900 billion over 10 years — under the unofficial $1 trillion target the White House has set.

As Congress continued to haggle over various bills on Capitol Hill, the president flew to North Carolina to emphasize consumer protections that he said would be in any bill he would sign. He was making the same pitch later in Virginia.

Among those protections: Insurers would be required to set annual caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses, would have to fully cover routine tests to help prevent illness and would be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder paid the premium in full. Insurers also would be barred from refusing coverage because of pre-existing conditions, scaling back insurance for people who fall very ill, charging more for services based on gender or and placing limits on coverage. And, they wouldn’t be able to deny children family coverage through age 26.