New health reform regulations are taking effect, and some of them could affect those with celiac disease. States are now required to offer coverage in the form of high-risk pools to those who have previously been denied insurance due to preexisting conditions like celiac disease. As the Dallas Gluten-Free Food Examiner summarizes:

“This plan will help to provide new options for people who have been uninsured for a minimum of six months because of a pre existing condition such as celiac disease. The full reform on pre-existing conditions will not take effect until 2014, as the government attempts to “bridge” immediate reform with long term reform. “

Starting Sept. 23, insurance companies will be banned from denying new or group coverage to patients under the age of 19 based on preexisting conditions. The policy will extend to all Americans, regardless of age, in 2014.

To learn more, read the government’s Fact Sheet on the New Patient’s Bill of Rights.