Health Care

Health Care

In 2010, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law landmark health care reform legislation that is designed to improve the quality of our health care system, provide expanded access to care, and lower the cost of health insurance.  I know firsthand how providing access to affordable health care isn’t a political issue, but a deeply personal one for every family.  My late husband Paul waged a long, courageous fight against cancer and during that time, our family had the benefit of excellent care from extraordinarily able and dedicated professionals.  I understand the fear and helplessness so many feel when faced with an illness in their family.  But I have also experienced the hope our health care system can offer and shudder to think what our experience might have been if our family had been uninsured.  I believe that every American deserves access to the same level of high quality care that my family received.  The new health care reform law is being implemented in different stages over the course of the next several years and will help to improve the quality of care for all Americans while making reforms to our health care system that willreduce costs for families.  Many reforms have already taken affect: 

•  2.5 million Americans under the age of 26 have been able to keep health insurance under by a parent’s plan.
   
• More than 2.7 million seniors have received discounts on prescription drugs. 
   
• Insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions.
   
• More than 24 million seniors on Medicare have already free preventive services such as mammograms, colonoscopies, or a annual Wellness Visit.

You can read more below about how the new health care reform is working for you:

• Health Care Reform in Massachusetts
   
• What’s Changing and When
   
• Immediate Benefits
   
• Benefits for Seniors
   
• Benefits for Young Adults
   
• How is Health Care Reform Paid For?

Small Businesses

Small businesses are eligible for up to 50% in subsidies to provide insurance to their employees. According to a report released by Families USA and the Small Business Majority, 74% of Massachusetts small businesses are eligible for this credit. See if your small business qualifies.

Many new individuals and families will be eligible for financial help to buy health insurance – making plans more affordable. Click here to see if you qualify for a subsidy

Women’s Health Care

Before health care reform,women on average paid higher premiums than men (a practice known as “gender rating”).  A 25-year-old woman could pay up to 84% more than a man, even for a health plan that excluded maternity coverage.  More than 60% of health care plans charged a 40-year-old woman who doesn’t smoke more than a 40-year-old man who does.  Further, before the passage of health reform, it was still legal in many states for insurance companies to deny a woman coverage if she has been the victim of domestic violence. 

I was proud to join my fellow women colleagues in raising these issues and others that specifically affect women during the debate over health care reform. 

The Budget Committee, on which I served, was one of the committees responsible for reviewing the health care reform bill before it could become law, and during our review, I introduced an amendment to prohibit insurance companies from denying full or partial coverage to women, including maternity coverage, for so-called “pre-existing conditions” such as domestic violence, pregnancy, or a medical history of cesarean sections.  My Republican colleagues joined me in supporting this motion, acknowledging that my amendment was crafted “fairly” and “addresses a significant problem,” and would improve health care for women and families.  The motion passed unanimously.

Now that health care reform has passed, I’ve been working with my colleagues to make sure that health insurance companies cover comprehensive preventative services for women without requiring patients to pay copayments.  These services include annual well-woman preventive care visits, gestational diabetes screening, and counseling and screening for domestic violence,

Additional Health Care Resources for Massachusetts Residents

• Massachusetts Health Connector
• Medicare questions 
• Shine Councilors for Massachusetts Seniors
• MassHealth Dental Portal
• Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
• Lowell Community Health Center