Congressman Tierney Statement on Supreme Court Ruling to Uphold Historic Health Care Reform

Press Release

Today, Congressman John Tierney issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act.

"The Supreme Court made a responsible decision today. Its ruling is a victory for the millions of Americans who will have the opportunity to access health care, the middle-class families who will see their health care costs decrease, the young Americans who will be able to stay on their insurance until age 26, the seniors who will continue to see the 'donut hole' close, and so many more," Congressman Tierney said.

"After more than a year of research, debate, and legislative action, Congress passed and the President signed the Affordable Care Act into law. The law might not be perfect but it is a step in the right direction for our country, and the Supreme Court made the right decision today. I hope those in Congress and holding statewide office throughout the country, who continue to try and roll back these critical health care protections for political reasons, will stand down. The American people, the Congress, the White House, and now the Supreme Court has spoken, and we should focus now on working together to implement the law and its benefits quickly and effectively," Congressman Tierney continued.

Background:

The non‐partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that this legislation will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 95% percent of Americans, while lowering health care costs over the long term. It is expected to reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years, with $1.2 trillion in additional deficit reduction in the following ten years. Additionally, according to information provided by Healthcare.gov, this legislation is expected to do the following in the district Congressman Tierney represents:

* Provide new coverage options for young adults - As of December 2011, 21,000 young adults in Massachusetts gained insurance coverage as a result of the health care law

* Make prescription drugs affordable for seniors - Since the law was enacted, Massachusetts residents with Medicare have saved a total of $64,266,312 on their prescription drugs.

* Cover preventive services with no deductible or co-pay - 1,324,000 in Massachusetts with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing.

* Provide better value for your premium dollar through the 80/20 Rule - These rebates will average $140 for the 85,000 families in Massachusetts covered by a policy

* Scrutinize unreasonable premium increases - Massachusetts has received $4 million under the new law to help fight unreasonable premium increases.

* Increase support for community health centers - Health centers in Massachusetts have received $107.0 million to create new health center sites in medically underserved areas, enable health centers to increase the number of patients served, expand preventive and primary health care services, and/or support major construction and renovation projects.

Additionally, Americans across Massachusetts and the country have already begun to see the benefits of the first provisions to be implemented:

* Nearly 13 million Americans will benefit from $1.1 billion in rebates from insurance companies this summer.

* 54 million Americans in private plans have received one or more free preventive services.

* In August, millions of women will begin receiving free coverage for a package of comprehensive women's preventive health services.

* In addition, in 2011, 32.5 million seniors received one or more free preventive services. So far in 2012, 14 million seniors have already received these services.

* 105 million Americans no longer have a lifetime limit on their coverage.

* Up to 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers.

* 6.6 million young adults up to age 26 have taken advantage of the law to obtain health insurance through their parents' plan, of whom 3.1 million would be uninsured without this coverage.

* 5.3 million seniors in the 'donut hole' have saved $3.7 billion on their prescription drugs.

* In 2011, 2.3 million seniors had a free Annual Wellness Visit under Medicare. So far in 2012, 1.1 million seniors have already had this free visit.

* In 2011, 360,000 small employers used the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit to help them afford health insurance for 2 million workers.

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