Rep. Johnson: Millions of Americans harmed if GOP succeeded in repealing health care reform
LITHONIA, GA – Today, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) reminded that one year ago, Republicans tried to take health benefits from millions of Americans and force seniors to pay more for their prescription drugs by attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Rep. Johnson pointed out that had Republicans succeeded, they would have reduced health coverage and increased health costs for millions of Americans.
On the first anniversary of the passage by House Republicans of the Health Reform Repeal Act, Rep. Johnson said: “If Republicans had been successful in taking away benefits that Americans enjoy today, 2.5 million young adults would have lost their health coverage; 17 million children would have lost their protections; 24 million seniors would have lost their free preventative care; and 2.7 million seniors would pay more for their drug costs.”
Added Rep. Johnson: “As health care reform continues to be implemented, it is expanding coverage and lowering costs for millions of American households. I will continue to fight against GOP efforts to repeal patients’ rights that would put the insurance companies back in charge.”
Benefits already enjoyed by Americans include:
► Coverage for 2.5 million young adults. Under reform, already 2.5 million young adults have been able to stay on their parents’ health plan until their 26th birthday, instead of being uninsured.
► Lower drug costs for 2.7 million seniors. Under reform, 2.7 million seniors have already received a 50 percent discount for their brand-name Rx drugs while in the ‘donut hole,’ with an average savings of $569 per senior per year.
► Lower health care costs for more than 24 million seniors. Under reform, more than 24 million seniors have already received one or more free preventive services under Medicare, such as mammograms, colonoscopies, or a free annual Wellness Visit.
► Guaranteed protection for up to 17 million children with pre-existing conditions. Under reform, insurance companies are now prohibited from discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions.
Benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the Fourth District:
► Provides coverage for 153,000 uninsured residents.
► Provides health care credits to up to 166,000 households.
► Reduces costs of uncompensated care by $98 million.
► Improves employer-based coverage for more than 350,000 residents.
► Improves Medicare for 65,000 residents/Closes the donut hole.
► Allows more than 15,000 small businesses to obtain affordable care.
The health reform law put Americans and their families in charge of their health care. By contrast, the GOP repeal bill would put insurance companies back in charge – repealing key new consumer protections for Americans and their families. For example, a successful GOP repeal effort would mean:
► Allowing insurers to once again arbitrarily drop individuals from coverage simply because they get sick;
► Allowing insurers to once again place a lifetime limit on coverage – a limit that, in the past, has forced families into bankruptcy when a serious illness has struck; and
► Allowing insurers to once again impose low annual limits on coverage, increasing costs for families.
The GOP repeal effort would also repeal key provisions that hold insurance companies accountable and achieve savings for consumers. For example, a successful GOP effort means:
► Repealing holding insurance companies accountable by eliminating the requirement that insurers spend at least 80 percent of premiums covering medical services – rather than CEO pay, profits, and administrative costs, and eliminating the requirement that insurers that fail to meet the 80 percent test must provide a rebate to their customers, beginning this year; and
► Repealing holding insurance companies accountable by eliminating the requirement that insurers must publish on the internet justifications for any premium increases they are seeking that are more than 10 percent, with outside experts publicly evaluating whether these increases are justified.
“As health reform continues to be implemented, it is already benefiting millions of Americans in important ways,” Rep. Johnson stated.
###