“The regulations released by the Obama Administration today are a welcome and long-overdue step in reforming our health care system and making quality, coordinated care available to all. These are exactly the consumer/patient protections that Americans need and expect from health reform. This is the dawn of a new day for health care.

Once these regulations take effect, millions more women will be able to access the obstetric and gynecological care they need without referrals or authorization, and children will have better access pediatric care. This means more prenatal care, better access to preventive services, and better health for women and children.

When they take effect, we will all be able to choose a primary care physician within our networks, and no longer have to worry about crippling costs if we need emergency care when we are traveling or unable to access care within our networks. It’s about time.

The new regulations on insurers will finally outlaw some of the most cynical, punitive and unfair practices that for years have bankrupted families with serious health problems. No longer will insurers be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions for children under age 19, rescind coverage when illness strikes, or impose punitive lifetime limits or unreasonable annual caps on coverage that for too long have left people without the coverage they purchased when they need it most.

These new regulations are a huge step in fixing our broken health care system.”