Healthcare Reform Passes!
On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed comprehensive healthcare reform into law, and on March 25th the Senate passed the reconciliation package. Nationally, the healthcare reform bill will guarantee affordable health insurance options, extending coverage to 32 million currently uninsured Americans. In Massachusetts, reform will strengthen our current healthcare system by: - Banning Insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions or reaching lifetime caps. While Massachusetts has some of the strongest health insurance regulation in the country, many people are denied care when they are most vunerable. Federal reform will extend these core protections to everyone in Massachusetts.
- Expanding coverage to 75,000 more middle income families. Middle income families with incomes up to $88,200 will receive subsidies to purchase health insurance, a big increase over the current limit of $66,150 for Commonwealth Care.
- Providing a tax credit to 70,000 small businesses in Massachusetts that covers up to 50% of the cost of providing health insurance for workers.
- Making prescriptions affordable for Seniors. Federal reform will close the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap that threatens 300,000 Massachusetts seniors every year with an additional $3,600 in out-of-pocket costs. Nearly 180,000 seniors in Massachusetts will receive a 50% discount on their prescription drugs.
- Community Health Centers and hospitals will receive millions of additional dollars in federal support to serve low income patients now funded by our state budget.
WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT: Insurance Companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime limits will be eliminated and annual limits restricted. Insurers will be barred from excluding children from coverage due to preexisting conditions. Young adults will be able to stay on their parents health plan until age 26. Currently dependents are dropped when they reach age 19 or finish college. Uninsured adults with pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program until new insurance exchanges start operating in 2014. Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes the "donut hole" gap. Small business tax credit becomes available to some employers to help provide coverage to workers.
"The American people have waited for this moment for a century," said Majority Leader Harry Reid after the vote. Healthcare reform could not have happened without the involvement of SEIU members and health care activists everywhere. Timeline of the Immediate Benefits Of Health Insurance Reform |