Which act expanded health insurance coverage and prohibits denying coverage for pre-existing conditions?

• A. HIPAA
• B. COBRA
• C. HITECH
• D. The Affordable Care Act

Answer: (D)

The main idea is a law that both broadened who can get health insurance and stops insurers from denying coverage because someone has a pre-existing condition. The Affordable Care Act accomplished this by creating health insurance marketplaces and expanding Medicaid, which expanded overall access to coverage. It also makes it illegal for insurers to deny someone or to charge higher premiums simply because of a pre-existing condition, providing protections that didn’t exist before for many people.

Other acts don’t fit as well. HIPAA helped limit pre-existing-condition exclusions and allowed some continuation of coverage in certain situations, but it didn’t broadly expand coverage or universally prohibit pre-existing-condition denials. COBRA allows people to temporarily keep their employer coverage after job loss, but it’s a continuation option, not a broad expansion or a pre-existing-condition protection. HITECH focuses on boosting electronic health records and health IT, not on changing who can get coverage or prohibiting pre-existing-condition denials.