(CBS News) The Supreme Court this month could overturn all or parts of President Obama's landmark 2010 health care overhaul -- but even so, at least one major health insurer plans to voluntarily keep in place some of the reforms. <\/p>\n
UnitedHealthcare on Monday announced that regardless of the court's decision, it will continue to offer some consumer protections and services that the law mandated: Allowing children up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents' health plan, coverage of preventive health services without co-pays, the elimination of lifetime dollar limits on policies, the elimination of rescissions (or retroactive termination of coverage), and the implementation of a clear appeals process. <\/p>\n
The decision will ensure that a large swath of consumers will continue to benefit from some of the more popular elements of Mr. Obama's controversial law -- UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people, making it one of the nation's largest insurers. <\/p>\n
It could also alter the political fallout from the high court's decision. Should the Supreme Court reject Mr. Obama's law, the president could point to UnitedHealthcare's announcement to validate his policy agenda. However, should the court strike down the law, the practical impact could be less clear to voters, making the issue less of a galvanizing force for the left. <\/p>\n
The Supreme Court heard arguments over the law's constitutionality in March, and the court is expected to hand down its decision between now and June 28. <\/p>\n
Supreme Court to rule soon on health care, immigration; what happens next? Poll: Most want Supreme Court to overturn individual health care mandate Poll: Most think politics will influence Supreme Court health care decision <\/p>\n
Stephen Hemsley, president and CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said in a statement his company is keeping the provisions in place because they \"are compatible with our mission.\" <\/p>\n
\"The protections we are voluntarily extending are good for people's health, promote broader access to quality care and contribute to helping control rising health care costs,\" he said. \"These provisions make sense for the people we serve, and it is important to ensure they know these provisions will continue.\" <\/p>\n
The court's rulings and the consequences are hard to know at this point. The one certainty is that the court's consideration of the case is putting Mr. Obama's controversial health care law back in the spotlight squarely in the middle of the 2012 presidential race -- a move sure to rekindle the partisan passion that in part drove Democratic voters in 2008 and Republican voters in 2010. <\/p>\n
A CBS News\/New York Times poll released last week reveals that nearly seven in 10 Americans want the Supreme Court to overturn either all or President Obama's health care law or strike down just the individual mandate. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Continued here: <\/p>\n
UnitedHealthcare to keep parts of health reforms<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (CBS News) The Supreme Court this month could overturn all or parts of President Obama's landmark 2010 health care overhaul -- but even so, at least one major health insurer plans to voluntarily keep in place some of the reforms. UnitedHealthcare on Monday announced that regardless of the court's decision, it will continue to offer some consumer protections and services that the law mandated: Allowing children up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents' health plan, coverage of preventive health services without co-pays, the elimination of lifetime dollar limits on policies, the elimination of rescissions (or retroactive termination of coverage), and the implementation of a clear appeals process. The decision will ensure that a large swath of consumers will continue to benefit from some of the more popular elements of Mr. Continue reading