Whitmer signs Miller bill on health insurance caps

A bill sponsored by a state representative that covers parts of Monroe and Lenawee counties was part of a package of laws signed Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Whitmer has signed bills to enshrine key health care protections guaranteed by the federal Affordable Care Act into state law, including Rep. Reggie Miller’s bill banning insurers from cap annual or lifetime insurance benefits.

Before the federal ACA was implemented, insurance providers had every right to put annual and lifetime caps on health care coverage,” said Miller, D-Van Buren Township , in an emailed statement. “These providers had the freedom to decide on coverage. because things like cancer or Crohn’s disease were too expensive and people could have an annual cap placed on their coverage. This is yet another mistake that we have corrected, and I am proud to see this package signed into law.

Miller represents Macon Township in Lenawee County as well as the northeastern part of Monroe County, including Dundee and Milan, and part of southern Wayne County.

Whitmer called it one of her top priorities in a speech laying out her legislative agenda before lawmakers returned to Lansing after their recess. “This fall, let’s codify the ACA’s common-sense savings measures, including protections for pre-existing conditions, so you can’t be charged more for having cancer, diabetes or pregnancy,” a- she then declared, sparking applause.