Monday, March 19, 2012

The Affordable Care Act Strengthens Medicare

This week we celebrate the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, and millions of people have already benefited.

But Republicans want to re-fight the same old political wars to give control over your health care back to insurance companies.

So what is the human cost of repealing the ACA? Millions of seniors who have already benefited stand to lose their quality and affordable healthcare if opponents are successful.

Let’s look at how the ACA strengthens Medicare…

The ACA Strengthens Medicare: The Affordable Care Act saves seniors money by continuing to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse and protecting them from the Republican budget that ends Medicare. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare Advantage premiums declined and enrollment increased during 2011, meaning that more seniors are receiving quality and affordable healthcare.

The ACA Closes the Donut Hole: Protecting seniors care means giving seniors the peace of mind that they won’t ever fall back into the prescription drug donut hole. And, it means keeping seniors healthy by giving them preventive care without a co-pay or a deductible.

The ACA Lowers Costs of Prescription Drugs: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act 3.6 Million Seniors saved 2.1 Billion dollars on prescription drugs during 2011. The Affordable Care Act provides a 50 percent discount on covered brand name prescription drugs for seniors and people with disabilities who hit the donut hole.

The ACA Allows Free Preventative Care Benefits: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 32.5 Million Seniors received free preventative care benefits, including an annual wellness visit during 2011. The preventative benefits available during 2011 included a free annual wellness visit and screenings for bone density, diabetes and certain cancers. This means that potential problems can be detected sooner.

Health care works – but we must protect seniors care from political games that will take away all of the benefits gained through the Affordable Care Act.

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