Health Care Law Upheld

Existing Benefits and Improvements to Come

Dear Friend,

As you may know, the Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutionality of the health insurance reform law, the Affordable Care Act.

This decision will allow us to build on the progress already underway to fix our broken health care system.

Millions of Americans and small businesses are currently benefiting from the law through contained costs and better coverage, including thousands of people here on the Central Coast:

• Nearly 10,000 Central Coast young adults now have health insurance because of this law
• Over 40,000 women now have access preventive services like cancer screenings without burdensome co-pays
• More than 6,000 local seniors have received discounts on prescription drugs for a total savings of $3.8 million, an average of $610 per Medicare beneficiary
• Over 500 Central Coast small businesses have received tax credits to make health insurance more affordable
• And almost 60,000 seniors have received preventive care like annual wellness visits, mammograms, and colonoscopies without any out-of-pocket costs

But there are many more improvements to come as implementation continues ,including:

• A basic benefits plan that, among other things, guarantees all Americans access to proven preventive services and women access to contraceptives without burdensome co-pays or co-insurance
• Guaranteed health insurance coverage for adults with pre-existing health conditions
• Insurance companies will no longer be able to charge women more than men for the same plan
• Tax credits and subsidies for low and moderate income families to help them afford quality private insurance
• The elimination of the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” coverage gap
• Expansion of our health care workforce through expanded community health centers, investments in the National Health Service Corps, and incentives for health professionals to enter pediatrics and primary care

Moreover, I am pleased that an important consumer protection—the requirement that insurance companies spend individuals’ premium dollars on medical care, not bonuses for CEOs or other administrative costs—will be realized later this summer.

In fact, American consumers and small business will be receiving over $1 billion in rebate checks from insurance companies that have overcharged their customers under this new rule. 

I am hopeful that the Supreme Court ruling will allow us to move forward and ensure quality affordable health care is available to all Americans.

I look forward to working together with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to complete implementation of the law, and hope we can now get back on task promoting job creation and economic growth.

If you are interested in more details on the health care reform law and how it can help you, please visit my website for more information.

As always, please feel free to share this information with others who may find it interesting.

And you are also welcome to keep in touch with me by liking my Facebook page, following me on Twitter, or you can always send me an email.

Sincerely,

Lois Capps
MEMBER OF CONGRESS