Giffords’s office looks to expand brain-injury coverage

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office expects 8 million individuals to join the exchanges in 2014, and it projects that number to grow to 24 million in 2018. Enrollment can grow even higher if more employers decide to drop insurance coverage and instead pay penalties.

Pascrell, who co-founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force more than a decade ago, said he is sensitive to the cost of the essential benefits package, but TBI is a priority for him.

“I hope we’re not going to question the money that is necessary,” he said.

Advocates say expanding TBI coverage can wind up saving money in the long run by helping injury victims stay out of long-term care facilities and allowing them to reenter the workforce after their recovery.