On January 18, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials released a study estimating the number of Americans with preexisting health conditions that could preclude them from obtaining health care in the absence of the national health care reform law.  Using 2008 data, the study projects that between 50 million and 129 million non-elderly Americans have preexisting conditions, including mental illnesses, as defined under the law’s high-risk insurance pools and the underwriting standards of seven major insurers.  In addition, the study estimates that up to 20 percent of non-elderly individuals with preexisting conditions are uninsured.  HHS officials say the study highlights the importance of the national health care reform law’s consumer protections which, starting in 2014, bar insurers from discriminating against individuals with preexisting conditions.

From the study:

According to a new analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services, 50 to 129 million (19 to 50 percent of) non-elderly Americans have some type of pre-existing health condition. Up to one in five non-elderly Americans with a pre-existing condition – 25 million individuals – is uninsured. Under the Affordable Care Act, starting in 2014, these Americans cannot be denied coverage, be charged significantly higher premiums, be subjected to an extended waiting period, or have their benefits curtailed by insurance companies.

As many as 82 million Americans with employer-based coverage have a pre-existing condition, ranging from life-threatening illnesses like cancer to chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, or heart disease. Without the Affordable Care Act, such conditions limit the ability to obtain affordable health insurance if they become self-employed, take a job with a company that does not offer coverage, or experience a change in life circumstance, such as divorce, retirement, or moving to a different state. Older Americans between ages 55 and 64 are at particular risk: 48 to 86 percent of people in that age bracket have some type of pre-existing condition. And 15 to 30 percent of people in perfectly good health today are likely to develop a pre-existing condition over the next eight years, severely limiting their choices without the protections of the Affordable Care Act.

Full Report: At Risk: Pre-Existing Conditions Could Affect 1 in 2 Americans: 29 Million People Could Be Denied Affordable Coverage Without Health Reform

Health and Human Services. (2011). At risk: pre-existing conditions could affect 1 in 2 Americans: 29 million people could be denied affordable coverage without health reform.