PRESIDENT OBAMAS RECORD IN BRIEF: HEALTH CARE

President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act to restore health care as a basic cornerstone of
middle-class security in America. When fully implemented, the Affordable Care Act will end the worst insurance company abusesincluding denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions or cancelling coverage when someone gets sick. It makes health care more affordable for families and small businesses and brings much-needed transparency to the insurance industry. And starting in 2014, 32 million working class Americans will be able to afford health care for the rst time.

WHAT THE LAW DOES Provides Security to Working Families

The law prevents insurance companies from denying Americans health insurance because of pre-existing conditions like asthma, heart disease, or cancer. Working families are protected from losing their health care or being forced into bankruptcy when someone gets sick or is in an accident. Families have the security of knowing their health insurance will be there when they need it most. The Act gives Americans access to the same health care choices as members of Congress. Insurance companies are now required to justify rate hikes, and consumers have the ability to appeal to an independent third party when insurance companies refuse to cover services or care. The law prevents insurance companies from discriminating against women, who pay up to 150 percent more for health care services than men.

Extends Access to Health Care

Because of the new law, 32 million more Americans will have health insurance. Ninety-ve percent of Americans under age 65 will have insurance. 4.9 million children with pre-existing conditions are now able to get health insurance. Before the law passed, insurance companies could deny coverage to kids with medical conditions. 3.4 million young adults are now eligible to stay on their parents health insurance plans up to age 26. In the laws rst year, close to a million young adultstraditionally the group most likely to be uninsuredgained insurance.

Reduces Health Care Costs

Starting in 2014, a tax credit to help pay for health care premiums gives middle-class families up to $2,300 in savings to help them purchase their own private insurance.

PAID FOR BY OBAMA FOR AMERICA

 Once fully implemented, the law will slow health care premium growth rates, adding another $2,000 to the average familys savings by 2019. Nearly 46 million Medicare beneciaries now have access to free health services, including an annual wellness visit and health screenings, to help detect and treat medical conditions early. By 2013, an estimated 88 million Americans are expected to have improved preventive care coverage, such as free vaccinations, health tests, and cancer screenings. New health insurance plans will cover womens preventive service such as well-woman visits, mammograms, domestic violence screening, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, access to FDA-approved birth control, and a host of other services without charging. The law is expected to reduce the decit by $127 billion from 2012 to 2021.

Makes Businesses More Competitive

More than 4 million small businesses are now eligible for a tax credit to help pay for their health care premiums. The credit will increase to cover 50 percent of premiums in 2014. Under the Affordable Care Act, help for small businessesincluding the new insurance exchangeswill reduce small business health care costs by 9 percent, according to independent estimates.

PAID FOR BY OBAMA FOR AMERICA