The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama.
As we continue to watch the news, listen to the radio, hear phrases like “pros and cons,” and read words like “repeal,” “cost” and “value,” it becomes increasingly important to know the facts. It becomes essential to ask the question, “Is health reform good for me and my family?”
- The Affordable Care Act prevents health insurance companies from refusing to pay for important treatments by claiming the patient had a pre-existing condition.
- The Affordable Care Act stops the kind of health insurance company abuse that patients endure every day.
- The Affordable Care Act ensures:• Lifetime limits on insurance coverage are eliminated and insurance companies are banned from dropping people from coverage just because they get sick.• There will be a cap on out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-pays and deductibles.
• Starting in 2014, people who cannot afford quality health insurance will receive tax credits.
• Starting this year, Medicare beneficiaries will receive a 50% discount on brand name drugs in the donut hole , and complete closure in 2020.
• Preventive care now requires new plans to cover prevention and wellness benefits at no charge…and exempt from deductibles
• Co-payments for preventative service have been eliminated.
• All Americans are ensured access to free preventive services.
• Community health teams will be provided to improve management of chronic diseases, which will help 50% of African Americans who suffer from them.
• The primary care workforce will be enhanced to ensure that all Americans have access to a primary care doctor.
• New measures have been enacted to help strengthen cultural competency by providing training for health care providers.
In a nutshell, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law to help alleviate the unnecessary burden that hardworking Americans deal with too often.
