WASHINGTON — The U.S. Health and Human Services unveiled $30 million in grants to states Monday to help Americans find health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Millions of Americans and small business owners have been left to fend for themselves in dealing with health insurance companies, said Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services secretary. They’ve been often helpless as health insurance companies limited benefits or rejected patients because of prior health conditions, raised premiums with little explaination or reason, cranked out tons of fine print, or rejected payments for treatments doctors deemed necessary, she said. Health insurance is designed to give consumers peace of mind for too often has been a major worry, she said. The Affordable Care Act and its Bill of Rights was designed to correct many of those abuses, she said. The department also launched a new Web site called healthcare.gov to help consumers compare insurance plans.
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 9:30 a.m.
