The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a federal statute that was signed into United States law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. This Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (signed into law on March 30, 2010) made up the health care reform of 2010. The laws focus on reform of the private health insurance market, provide better coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, improve prescription drug coverage in Medicare and extend the life of the Medicare Trust fund by at least 12 years.
PPACA passed the Senate on December 24, 2009, by a vote of 60–39 with all Democrats and Independents voting for, and all Republicans voting against. It passed the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010, by a vote of 219–212, with all 178 Republicans and 34 Democrats voting against the bill.
“But this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. We do what is necessary to move this country forward. For that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of health care.” — President Barack Obama
“That our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence –- and the character -– of the American people, who championed this cause; who mobilized; who organized; who believed that people who love this country can change it.”
— President Barack Obama
The first $250 rebate checks are sent to seniors who fall into Medicare’s “donut hole” and have to pay all their own drug costs. In the first year of health reform, nearly four million people on Medicare got help with prescription drug costs.
President Obama announced new interim final regulations, the Patient’s Bill of Rights, that include a set of protections that apply to health coverage starting on or after September 23, 2010,sixmonthsafterthe enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury collaborated on the Patient’s Bill of Rights – which will help children (and eventually all Americans) with pre-existing conditions gain coverage and keep it, protect all Americans’ choice of doctors, and end lifetime limits on the care consumers may receive. These new protections create an important foundation of patients’ rights in the private health insurance market that puts Americans in charge of their own health.
A temporary health insurance program that makes health coverage available and more affordable for high-risk individuals who are uninsured and have been denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition launches. Gail O’Brien was the first New Hampshire resident to benefit from this new program.
- Insurance companies can no longer set lifetime limits on key benefits, such as hospital stays.
- Insurance company’s ability to set annual dollar limits on coverage for individual and group plans are restricted.
- Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage for children with pre-existing conditions.
- Health Resources and Services Administration app Find a Health Center
HealthCare.gov is available 24 hours, 7 days a week to answers your questions.
Learn more: https://www.healthcare.gov
Medicare starts covering annual wellness visits and offering free preventive services including mammograms and colonoscopies.
As of January 1, 2011, seniors who reach the coverage gap received a 50 percent discount when buying Medicare Part D covered brand-name prescription drugs. Over the next ten years, seniors will receive additional savings on brand-name and generic drugs until the coverage gap is closed in 2020.
* September 1, 2011
Now health insurers seeking to increase their rates by 10 percent or more must submit their request to state or federal reviewers to determine whether they are reasonable or not. These reviews will bring greater transparency, accountability, and may lower costs for families and small business owners who struggle to afford coverage.
For the third year, a tax credit is refunding small business owners like Mike Novak, a Montana grocery store owner, up to 35 percent of the premiums they pay for their workers. So far, more than 2 million workers have received coverage because of this benefit.
In 2014, consumers who don’t have coverage through work can use Affordable Insurance Exchanges, one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their health needs and access the same kinds of insurance choices members of Congress will have. The new law also provides middle class tax credits to families to help pay for private health insurance. And it expands the Medicaid program to families of four with incomes of up to $29,000.
To learn more: The Affordable Care Act: http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
Affordable Care Act – The Core Principle
“We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right. Here, in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America. And we have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.”
— President Barack Obama, March 23, 2010
4 ways you can #GetCovered:
2. Call 1-800-318-2596
3. Mail a paper app
4. Apply in person http://t.co/SGAjS6mpxr
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 25, 2013