Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

On June 28th, 2012 the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act -- the new health reform law. In the three years since this law was established, it has benefited millions of Michiganders by improving health care coverage and reducing costs. At the same time, the law's most significant reforms have yet to take effect, including the provision that will prevent private insurers from denying Americans coverage because of a preexisting condition or kicking them off their plan because they get sick -- both of which become effective in 2014.

To learn more about how Affordable Care Act will work after the entire law is implemented, I recommend watching this informative and entertaining 9-minute video from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Also, here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the law.

Below are some of the ways in which health reform has already benefited families in our state.

Consumer Rights and Protections

The Affordable Care Act puts consumers back in charge of their health care by establishing a "Patient's Bill of Rights." Insurance companies used to be able to take advantage of you by denying coverage to children who had asthma or were born with a heart defect, putting a lifetime cap on the amount of care they would pay for, or cancelling your coverage when you got sick just by finding an accidental mistake in your paperwork. The Patient's Bill of Rights protects you from these and other abusive practices. Here are some examples:

End to Pre-Existing Condition Discrimination: Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition like asthma and diabetes, providing peace of mind for parents of the more than 17.6 million children with pre-existing conditions. Starting in 2014, no American can be discriminated against due to a pre-existing condition.
No more lifetime caps on benefits: In the past, some people with cancer or other chronic illnesses ran out of insurance coverage because their health care expenses reached a dollar limit imposed by their insurance company. Under the health care law, insurers can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on essential health benefits and annual limits are being phased out by 2014. More than 105 million Americans no longer have lifetime limits thanks to the new law.
End to Coverage Cancellations: Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage when you get sick due to a mistake you made on your application.
More Affordable Coverage

The law helps you by bringing down health care costs and making sure your health care dollars are spent wisely. Insurance companies will now be accountable to their customers for how they are spending premium dollars, and how much they are raising rates. Plus, the new law will help lower costs through new tax credits and new marketplaces where insurers will have to compete for your business.

Value for Your Premium Dollar: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act's 80/20 rule, if insurance companies don't spend at least 80 percent of your premium dollar on medical care and quality improvements rather than advertising, overhead and bonuses for executives, they will have to provide you a rebate. The first rebates will be made in the summer of 2012.
Stopping Unreasonable Rate Increases: In every State and for the first time ever, insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more.
Small Business Tax Credits: Small businesses have long paid a premium price for health insurance -- often 18 percent more than larger employers. The tax credit will benefit an estimated 2 million workers who get their insurance from an estimated 360,000 small employers who will receive the credit in 2011 alone.
Better Access to Care

The health care law builds on what works in our health care system. And it fixes what's broken by providing you with more health insurance choices and better access to care.

* Affordable Insurance Marketplaces: Affordable Insurance Marketplaces are one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their health needs. Sign up starts October 1, 2013 and coverage starts January 1, 2014. Michigan's Health Insurance Marketplace will be federally facilitated.

* Free Prevention Benefits: Insurers are now required to cover a number of recommended preventive services, such as cancer, diabetes and blood pressure screenings, without additional cost sharing such as copays or deductibles. Already, 54 million Americans with private health coverage have gotten better preventive services coverage as a result.

* Coverage for Young Adults: Under the law, most young adults who can't get coverage through their jobs can stay on their parents' plans until age 26 -- a change that has already allowed 3.1 million young adults to get health coverage and given their families peace of mind.

Protecting Medicare

The new health care reform law provides Medicare recipients with access to free preventive care and a free annual wellness visit every year. In 2012, 34.1 million seniors received one or more of these free services, including about one million individuals in Michigan.

People who hit the Medicare prescription drug donut hole are getting a discount on their prescription drugs. In 2012 alone, more than 3.5 million seniors saved more than $2.5 billion on Rx drugs, or an average of $706 per senior. In Michigan, seniors have saved more than $150 million on prescription drugs--an average of $744 per beneficiary. By 2020, the health reform law will eliminate the donut hole completely, ensuring that care is provided when you need it the most.

I am fighting to protect guaranteed benefits for all 47 million Americans on Medicare. Estimates by the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that the new benefits and services provided to Medicare recipients by the Affordable Care Act will save the typical senior over $3,500 over the next decade. The Affordable Care Act strengthens Medicare and extends the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by 8 years -- from 2016 to 2024--by squeezing waste out of the system and making it more efficient, without reducing benefits.

Protecting Health Reform

Republicans in the House of Representatives failed in their efforts to repeal health reform in its entirety. They are now trying to repeal the bill in pieces, but they continue to be unsuccessful at undoing the substantial gains we have made. We need to support the gains we have made to make sure that health care is affordable and accessible for all Americans. You may review my statements here on their efforts to repeal a piece of the health reform law.

Health Research

Health care research is essential to improving clinical treatments and finding new cures. I believe that we must provide adequate funding for medical and health research if we are to continue improving health outcomes and enhancing the quality of life in America. To this end, I strongly support increasing federal funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the country's top-notch federal agency for supporting and conducting research on disease prevention, causes, treatment, and cures.

I am urging an increase in NIH funding to $32 billion for 2014 -- this will enable our scientific researchers to continue to do the cutting edge research leading to cures for disease. In past years, I have strongly opposed the massive cuts proposed for NIH in the House Budgets. Democratic opposition was essential for preserving those funds.

Women's Health

In 2005, I introduced the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, and the bill was signed into law in 2007. The bill is referred to as Johanna's Law in honor of Johanna Silver Gordon, a Southfield high school teacher who died of ovarian cancer in 2000. The legislation created a federal education campaign to increase awareness and early detection of gynecological cancers. We continue to reauthorize this vital legislation in order to continue to fight against these deadly cancers.

I have been a strong supporter of our efforts to find cures and improve treatment for breast cancer. Recently I have co-sponsored legislation to renew the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, which provides valuable funds for NIH research, and have supported continued appropriations for the Department of Defense Congressional-directed research program on breast cancer. The new health reform law provides women improved access to preventive services that can detect gynecological cancers early. To find out how the health reform law can help women and girls protect themselves from cancers, go here.

The health reform law removes barriers and discriminatory practices by insurance companies that hurt women. For a list of important changes for women in the new health law, go here.

The new health care reform law also makes great strides for women by giving nursing mothers the right to reasonable accommodation to breastfeed at work, eliminating discrimination against women in health insurance plans and ensuring that women have the option to give birth in birth centers as well as in hospitals.
Child Development and Mental Health

According to the Surgeon General, only one-third of Americans with diagnosable mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and clinical depression are receiving appropriate treatment. This statistic tells me that we have a lot of work to do in the area of mental health care. I believe that all Americans should have access to mental healthcare when they need it, and I have made removing barriers to mental health treatment a top priority and why I supported mental health parity legislation.

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