HEALTH CARE REFORM
For more detailed information please visit healthcare.gov, a one-stop site that will answer your questions about reform, and give you access to a range of new and existing insurance options:
For more information on this page:
How The Law Is Helping People Now
The Affordable Care Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in March 2010, gives you better health security by putting into place comprehensive health insurance reforms that help to hold insurance companies accountable, lower health care costs, guarantee more choice, and enhance the quality of care for all Americans.
The Affordable Care Act builds a bridge to 2014 when a new competitive insurance marketplace will be established where millions of Americans and small businesses will be able to purchase affordable coverage, and have the same choices of
insurance that members of Congress will have. Between now and 2014, parts of the law are beginning to take effect, including new benefits, protections and cost savings.
Healthcare.gov Implementation Center: See how the law is being implemented in your state here.
Recent news on how the law is helping people now:
Rep. Stark Op-Ed in The Fremont Argus: One Year Later: The State of Health Care Reform
New Report Finds Lower Premiums Thanks to Health Reform
Stark, Levin Praise $4 Billion in Funds Recovered From Anti-Fraud Efforts
Healthcare.gov: Ringing in the New Year with New Health Care Benefits
Healthcare.gov: Connecting Kids to Coverage
Healthcare.gov: Shedding Light on Insurance Industry Practices
Forbes: More Small Businesses Offering Health Care To Employees Thanks To Obamacare
Watch Congressman Stark discuss how Castro Valley resident Stephanie Blazin is being helped by the health reform law now:
Fighting Republican Repeal
Read Congressman Stark's report: "Dangerous To America's Health: The Republican Plan to Dismantle America's Health Care"
Instead of focusing on job creation, the GOP is focused on repealing patients' rights, putting insurance companies back in charge and ballooning the deficit. Because of patients' rights protections, Americans are free from discrimination and can get the benefits they deserve. The GOP’s health reform repeal bill will put insurance companies back in charge.
Under the GOP repeal bill, right now:
- Children with pre-existing conditions would be denied coverage;
- Young people age 26 won't be able to stay on their parents’ plans;
- Pregnant women and breast and prostate cancer patients could be thrown off the insurance rolls;
- Seniors would pay more for their drugs;
- Small businesses would pay higher taxes.
According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, here’s what the GOP health reform repeal bill means over the long run:
- $230 billion will be added to the deficit over the first ten years and more than $1.2 trillion in the second decade;
- 32 million Americans will lose health coverage;
- Americans will get fewer health benefits for their money;
- Americans purchasing health insurance on their own will see their costs rise;
- Health care premiums for Americans getting coverage through large employers will go up.
For information on how the 13th Congressional District would be hurt by the Republican push to repeal, please click here.
Rep. Stark is fighting Republican efforts to repeal health reform:
Amicus brief opposing Republican lawsuit against the health reform law
Stark, Levin Respond to Republican Appointee's Ruling on Health Reform
"Replace" Resolution Isn't Worth The Paper It's Printed On
Stark, Levin Criticize Republicans' Empty Health Reform Resolution
CMS Actuary: H.R. 2 Shortens the Life of Medicare by 12 Years
CBO: GOP's NoCare Plan Explodes The Deficit By More Than $1.2 Trillion
News on repeal efforts:
TPM: Republicans Hide Health Care Law Benefits From Their Constituents
NYT: Awaiting Health Law’s Prognosis
WP: Is this what conservatives are reading about health-care reform?
Politifact: The health care law a "job killer"? The evidence falls short
NYT: The Truth and Consequences of Repeal
A Breakdown Of What's In The Law
The health reform legislation, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in March of 2010, will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and will create the transformation within the health care system necessary to contain costs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that it will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 95% percent of Americans, while lowering health care costs over the long term and reducing the deficit by $138 billion through 2019, with $1.2 trillion additional deficit reduction in the following 10 years.
CLICK HERE to see how health care reform will benefit California's 13th District.
- How Reform Works For You
- Immediate Benefits
- Guide for Seniors
- How Reform Helps Women
- What's in it for Young Americans
- Guide for Small Businesses
- Timeline for Implementation
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148)
- Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152)
- 3 Page Summary of the final health insurance reform legislation
- Section by Section Analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Senate DPC document)
- Detailed Summary of Health Care and Revenue Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (Senate DPC document)
- Reconciliation Bill Makes Key Improvements to Senate-passed Bill
- Section by Section Analysis of the Reconciliation Bill
Consumer Protections/Benefits/Wellness
Exchanges
Shared Responsibility & Affordability
- Making Coverage Affordable
- Estimated Savings For Families
- Maintaining and Improving Medicaid
- Shared Responsibility
Strengthening Medicare
- Strengthening Medicare
- Improving the Medicare Part D Drug Program/Closing the Donut Hole
- Curbing Taxpayer Subsidies For Private Insurers in Medicare
Health Workforce
By Demographic
- Addressing Health Care Disparities
- Rural America & Reform
- Seniors
- Women
- Young Americans
- Small Businesses
Click herefor a list of more than 325 organizations, representing millions of Americans, who support H.R. 4872.
H.R. 3962: The Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Affordable Health Care for America Act blends and updates the three versions of previous bills passed by the House committees of jurisdiction in July, and embodies President Obama’s key goals for health reform. It will slow the growth in out-of-control costs, introduce competition into the health care marketplace to keep coverage affordable and insurers honest, protect people’s choices of doctors and health plans, and assure all Americans access to quality, stable, affordable health care.
The legislation will ensure that 96 percent of Americans will be covered by a quality, affordable health plan. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of expanding coverage at $894 billion, consistent with the $900 billion coverage mark laid out by President Obama. And the legislation will be paid for. CBO estimates the bill reduces the deficit by at least $30 billion over 10 years.
Click here for a list of groups who have endorsed the House health reform bill.
BILL SUMMARY DOCUMENTS:
- Affordable Health Care for America: Summary
- Detailed Summary
- Immediate Investments on the Road to Reform
- Topline Changes from H.R. 3200
- Timeline for Implementation
- Section-by-Section summary
PAYING FOR REFORM:
- Health Care Surcharge and Households
- Health Care Surcharge and Small Businesses
- Summary of Revenue Provisions
- Joint Committee on Taxation: Estimated Revenue Effects
ABOUT THE BILL:
- Top Ten Ways Health Insurance Reform Works For You
- What You Need To Know About Health Reform
- The Cost of Inaction
- Health Care By The Numbers
- Talking Points
- Myths Vs. Facts
- Lowering Costs Over the Long Term
- District-By-District Impact
- Strengthening Medicare
- Improving the Medicare Part D Drug Program
- Meeting Health Care Needs of Senior Citizens and People with Disabilities
- Restoring Equity Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage
- Maintaining and Improving Medicaid
- Strengthening the Nation’s Health Workforce
- Delivery System Reforms
- Protecting Program Integrity by Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse
- Preventing Disease/Improving The Public's Health
- Meeting Women`s Health Care Needs
- What's In It For Young Americans
- Addressing Health and Health Care Disparities
- Rural Health
- Indian Health
HR 3961: The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act
Simultaneous to the introduction of the health reform legislation, Members also introduced critically important companion legislation, The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act. The bill replaces Medicare’s broken physician payment formula with a stable system that ends the cycle of deep cuts followed by short-term fixes followed by the threat of ever deeper cuts. The legislation will guarantee that beneficiaries continue to enjoy excellent access to physicians of their choice in Medicare, and complement the additional payment and delivery system reforms in the comprehensive health reform legislation.
Reforming Medicare’s physician payment formula is a key component of health reform and Rep. Stark is committed to enacting both of these vital bills into law.
BILL SUMMARY DOCUMENTS:
