Affordable Care Act
Before
the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the American health care system worked well for
those who could financially afford it, but it left out large segments of our
population. The World Health Organization ranked the United States 38th in
health care and number one in dollars spent per capita on medical care.
Health care cost was the
top reason for people filing for bankruptcy. Even if you had health care
insurance, most plans had a lifetime cap, denied pre-existing conditions, and
had high deductibles. And more than 20 per cent of the premiums went to
administrative costs and CEO salaries.
We
desperately needed health care reform and the ACA started the long process of
change in our health care industry. The ACA (often called Obama Care), is not
reserved for the top 1%; it serves everyone. The Congressional Budget Office says ACA will reduce
the deficit. ACA will slow the cost of health care premium increases, eliminate
lifetime caps and preexisting conditions, and cap administrative costs to 20
per cent.
It provides free prevention screenings and health care for 50 million
additional people. Although
Congress failed
to allow Medicare to
negotiate with drug companies to lower prescription drug costs, the ACA closes
the donut hole for seniors.
There is bipartisan consensus that Obama Care works much better for the middle class and
lower income Americans than before ACA. No one should die because they cannot afford health care nor be
forced into bankruptcy due to illness. Democrats are proud to be a part of
this seminal step in health care reform. America
must not revert back to the health care system in place prior to the Affordable
Care Act.
