This week marks the two year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law. This health care reform gives millions of Americans the stability and security they deserve by ensuring that families cannot be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, lose their coverage or be forced into bankruptcy when someone gets sick.
The law has helped cut health care costs throughout Delaware and positively impacted the lives of many in the state by:
Making prescription drugs more affordable for seniors
Thanks to the new health care law, 12,866 people with Medicare in Delaware received a $250 rebate to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole in 2010. In 2011, 12,356 people with Medicare received a 50 percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. This discount resulted in an average savings of $757 per person, and a total savings of $9,358,894 in Delaware. By 2020, the law will close the donut hole.
Covering preventive services with no deductible or co-pay
In 2011, 117,943 people with Medicare in Delaware received free preventive services – such as mammograms and colonoscopies – or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor. And 54 million Americans with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing, including 163,000 in Delaware.
Creating new coverage options for individuals with pre-existing conditions
As of the end of 2011, 153 previously uninsured residents of Delaware who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under the new health reform law.
Removing lifetime caps on health benefits
The law bans insurance companies from imposing lifetime dollar limits on health benefits – freeing cancer patients and individuals suffering from other chronic diseases from having to worry about going without treatment because of their lifetime limits. Already, 320,000 residents, including 121,000 women and 86,000 children, are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage. The law also restricts the use of annual limits and bans them completely in 2014.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work for accessible, affordable health care.