The Issues

Health Care

In America, health care should be a right for all, not a privilege for the wealthy few. House Democrats are fighting to ensure that every man, woman, and child has access to the quality, affordable health care, providing coverage for millions of uninsured Americans, strengthening the Medicare system, expanding insurance for low-income children, funding cutting-edge research into cures for disease, and giving patients the power to take charge of their health.

That is why we enacted the Affordable Care Act: a historic law that ensures all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and significantly reduces long-term health care costs. This landmark legislation is empowering millions of Americans with newfound health security and the personal and economic freedom it provides—giving more Americans the liberty to lead healthier lives and pursue their hopes, dreams and happiness.

WHAT DEMOCRATS ARE DOING

House Democrats continually work to implement and improve health care reform to ensure that the best health care system in the world only gets better. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Americans are already seeing lower costs and stronger coverage:

105 million Americans have had a lifetime limit on their coverage eliminated.
Up to 17 million children who have pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers.
2.5 million additional young adults up to age 26 now have health insurance.
5.1 million seniors and people with disabilities have saved $3.2 billion on their prescription drugs.

The reforms in the Affordable Care Act have transformed the quality of coverage that Americans can expect from their health care plan:

If you are a young adult, you can now stay on your parents’ health plan until your 26th birthday, if you do not have coverage of your own.
If you are among 4 million eligible small businesses, you can receive tax credits if you choose to offer coverage to your employees – covering 35% of the cost of coverage.
Now, you can no longer be denied coverage by an insurance company for having a “pre-existing condition.”
Your insurance company can no longer place a lifetime limit on your coverage. Such limits have caused some families to declare bankruptcy.
If you are a senior, you will now be receiving a 50% discount on brand-name drugs if you enter the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole’ coverage gap – a discount that grows until the ‘donut hole’ is closed in 2020.
You can no longer be dropped from coverage by your insurance company simply because you get sick.
Your insurance company can no longer place restrictive annual limits on your coverage.
If you are in a new plan, you now have free coverage of key preventive services, such as immunizations, mammograms, and other cancer screenings.
Your insurance company must now spend at least 80 percent of premiums on covering medical services – rather than administrative expenses, CEO pay, and profits.
Your insurance company must now publish on the Internet detailed justifications for any premium increases they are seeking that are more than 10 percent.

Learn more about what the Affordable Care Act means for Americans across the country: