CONGRESSWOMAN EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON CELEBRATES THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE ACT

Washington, DC – (Wednesday, March 23, 2011) - Exactly one year ago today, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law – making health care a right, not a privilege, for all Americans. This historic health reform provides several provisions that have begun to take effect for residents in Texas-30 and around the United States.  Immediate benefits in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area are as follows:

• Health Insurance Plans can no longer place lifetime dollar limit on benefits and care for 4.4 million individuals;
• Health Insurance Plans can no longer rescind health policies for nearly 343,000 area residents who become ill;
• Group plans can no longer deny coverage to individuals based on pre-existing conditions for up to 1.2 million to 3.1 million individuals, including 98,000 to 450,000 children;
• Approximately 50,500 young adults are now covered up to age 26;
• Health coverage extended to persons between the ages of 55 to 64 for up to 64,500 early retirees;
• Preventative care benefits to 854,000 seniors;
• Increased prescription drug costs for 72,700 seniors who hit the Part D drug “donut hole”;
• Tax credits for up to 142,900 small businesses and 1.7 million families;
• Increased costs to hospitals in the metro region of providing uncompensated care in the amount of $958 million annually;
• Consumers in new health plans will have the right to a fair process to appeal if their plan denies their claims;
• Policies that began on or after September 23, 2010
  • Required to cover preventive services (mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations, pre-natal care, etc) without a deductible or co-payment for nearly 913,000 residents in the metro area;
  • The insured has a right to both an internal and external appeal by a third party to refute the decision to pay for coverage;
  • a) The insured has the right to choose their own doctor; b) choose a pediatrician as your child’s own doctor; and c) gives women the right to seen an OB-GYN without having to obtain a referral;
  • The insured has the right to access emergency room care and not be charged higher cost-sharing for ER services that were provided in a setting “out-of-network”.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) ensures that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and significantly reduce long-term health care costs.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that it will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 94% percent of Americans.  CBO projects ACA will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years and an additional $1.2 trillion will be reduced in the following 10 years.  For more information, visit, http://www.healthcare.gov/

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. She is also the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas that includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek,Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.