Comprehensive Achievements of ObamaCare! Care to Share With the 54% Who Favor Repeal?

[There Is No Spoon]

Note: It pains me to see that there are many folks who are not well informed about the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). Below the fold, I have compiled a well researched comprehensive list of the ObamaCare achievements. I am giving permission to anyone interested to use/re-post the information within this essay to your audience as you see it fit.

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President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) into law on March 23, 2010. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about repealing ObamaCare. In fact, House Republicans passed unanimously voted in favor of repealing ObamaCare by a 245-189 vote with three Democrats [Rep. Dan Boren (OK), Rep. Mike McIntyre (N.C.), and Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.)] joining in with the Republican majority.

Sometime ignorance is bliss when what you don't know is just more comfortable than seeking the truth. So, here is why it is important that we speak about what ObamaCare has done to date and if you believe a right wing polling entity like Rasmussen Reports, why we must change the hearts and minds of the 54% of likely U.S. Voters who still seem to favor repealling one of the most comprehensive Health Care Reform Bill.

The only way to remedy misinformation and ignorance is by sharing sourced and factual information about what ObamaCare has achieved for Americans. Below is a summation of the benefits and what ObamaCare has contributed in helping Americans since the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) passed into law.

Benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare):

1) Prevents denial of coverage to children with pre-existing conditions.

2) Adults up to age 26 can stay on their parents’ health plans.

3) Requires new health plans to provide free preventive care without cost-sharing such as co-pays or deductibles. HHS issued interim final regulations on preventive services and amendment to the final regulations.

4) Prohibits rescinding coverage making it illegal.
Prohibits lifetime limits on the dollar value of insurance coverage.

5) Prohibits annual limits on insurance coverage.

6) More options to appeal coverage decisions.

7) Provides $5 billion in immediate federal support to affordable Coverage for the Uninsured with Pre-existing Conditions.

8) Provides a $10 billion investment in Community Health Centers to expand medical services.

9) Create immediate access to re-insurance for employer health plans providing coverage for early retirees over age 55 who are not eligible for Medicare.

10) Implemented a process that requires states to review insurance companies premium increases. The final rule for the insurance rate review program was published in the Federal Register on May 19, 2011.

11) Provided grants worth almost $250 million ($46 million and $199 million) to assist States enforce the insurance rate review program.

12) Provides tax credits or grants to employers with 250 or fewer employees for up to 50% of the investments costs in projects that qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project. About a $1 billion in tax credits and grants have been provided by end of 2010.

13) Appropriated $5 billion for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 and $2 billion for each of the subsequent five fiscal years to support prevention and public health programs.

14) Provides a $250 rebate to 750,000 Medicare Beneficiaries who reach the Part D coverage gap in 2010. As of March 22, 2011, 3.8 million beneficiaries had received a $250 check to close the coverage gap, according to an HHS report.

15) Requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide a 50% discount on brand-name prescriptions and a 7% and 14% generic drug discount (in 2011 and 2012, respectively) filled in the Medicare Part D coverage gap.

16) Businesses with fewer than 25 employees will get tax credits covering up to 35% of employee premiums effective 2011 and a 50% tax credit effective 2013.

17) Creates a state option to provide Medicaid coverage to childless adults with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. By 2014, States are required to provide this coverage.

18) Provides a 10% Medicare bonus payment for primary care services and to general surgeons practicing in health professional shortage areas.

19) Requires insurance companies spend at least 80 to 85 percent of the proportion of the premium dollars on clinical services and issue a rebate if the share of the premium spent is less than the threshold.

20) Creates a temporary program to provide health coverage to individuals with pre-existing medical conditions who have been uninsured for at least six months.

21) Imposes a tax of 10% on the amount paid for indoor tanning services.

22) Expands eligibility for the 340(B) drug discount program to sole-community hospitals, critical access hospitals, certain children’s hospitals, and other entities with a savings estimated to be 20% to 50% on the cost of pharmaceuticals and reaching more eligible patients while providing more comprehensive services.

23) Eliminates cost-sharing for Medicare-covered preventive services that are recommended (rated A or B) by the U.S.

24) Preventive Services Task Force.As of October 6, 2011, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that 20.5 million people had participated in the free Annual Wellness Visit.

25) Provides 3-year grants worth $100 million to states to develop programs for Medicaid enrollees with incentives to participate in comprehensive health lifestyle programs.

26) Awarded $185 million worth of grants as of August 2011 to states to begin planning for the establishment of American Health Benefit Exchanges and Small Business Health Options Program Exchanges, which facilitate the purchase of insurance by individuals and small employers.

27) Requires disclosure of the nutritional content of standard menu items at chain restaurants and food sold from vending machines.

28) Imposes new annual fees on the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. The sector will be assessed at the following rates: $2.8 billion in 2012 through 2013, $3 billion in 2014 through 2016, $4 billion in 2017, $4.1 billion in 2018 and $2.8 billion in 2019 and after

http://timtpost.com/2012/01/10/comprehen...ealing-it/

[There Is No Spoon]

I stickied this as having this information handy can be a godsend when in a argument with an anti-healthcare rightwinger. On one site I post at I listed the top 6 or so here from memory (memory was working good that day) and there was almost a gasp of disbelief from the majority of posters there (very righty crowd) that anybody would support "Obamacare". But guess what? NOT ONE person either refuted or even challenged these facts.

Republicans have no chance at winning the Obamacare argument once they are presented with the facts posted here.

[NJMaverick]

You know normally the left would have been spreading this important info. However too many of them were putting themselves on their ideological crosses because they didn't put the insurance companies out of business.

[jaxx]

What a great source to stop the lies out there. Thank you so much....and for pinning it to the top so it's easy to find.

[mcar]

Excellent info. Thanks.

[BlueCaliDem4DFP]

According to the New York Times, the robust Public Option is on its way!

(10/27/2012) WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will soon take on a new role as the sponsor of at least two nationwide health insurance plans to be operated under contract with the federal government and offered to consumers in every state.

These multistate plans were included in President Obama’s health care law as a substitute for a pure government-run health insurance program — the public option sought by many liberal Democrats and reviled by Republicans. Supporters of the national plans say they will increase competition in state health insurance markets, many of which are dominated by a handful of companies.

The national plans will compete directly with other private insurers and may have some significant advantages, including a federal seal of approval. Premiums and benefits for the multistate insurance plans will be negotiated by the United States Office of Personnel Management, the agency that arranges health benefits for federal employees.

Walton J. Francis, the author of a consumer guide to health plans for federal employees, said the personnel agency had been “extraordinarily successful” in managing that program, which has more than 200 health plans, including about 20 offered nationwide. The personnel agency has earned high marks for its ability to secure good terms for federal workers through negotiation rather than heavy-handed regulation of insurers."

It has been in the PPACA all this time! Sneaky Barack was able to move around the obstructionist congress and rightwing SCOTUS and we're well on our way to get a robust public option! Woooo-hooo

[jaxx]

(10-28-2012 12:15 AM)BlueCaliDem4DFP Wrote:  According to the New York Times, the robust Public Option is on its way!

(10/27/2012) WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will soon take on a new role as the sponsor of at least two nationwide health insurance plans to be operated under contract with the federal government and offered to consumers in every state.

These multistate plans were included in President Obama’s health care law as a substitute for a pure government-run health insurance program — the public option sought by many liberal Democrats and reviled by Republicans. Supporters of the national plans say they will increase competition in state health insurance markets, many of which are dominated by a handful of companies.

The national plans will compete directly with other private insurers and may have some significant advantages, including a federal seal of approval. Premiums and benefits for the multistate insurance plans will be negotiated by the United States Office of Personnel Management, the agency that arranges health benefits for federal employees.

Walton J. Francis, the author of a consumer guide to health plans for federal employees, said the personnel agency had been “extraordinarily successful” in managing that program, which has more than 200 health plans, including about 20 offered nationwide. The personnel agency has earned high marks for its ability to secure good terms for federal workers through negotiation rather than heavy-handed regulation of insurers."

It has been in the PPACA all this time! Sneaky Barack was able to move around the obstructionist congress and rightwing SCOTUS and we're well on our way to get a robust public option! Woooo-hooo

I think this is really good. Hiding right out in the open and people ignored it....now they'll see results.

[BlueCaliDem4DFP]

Quote:I think this is really good. Hiding right out in the open and people ignored it....now they'll see results.

Can you believe it that there are still people on DU who say that this isn't enough, and they want Medicare-for-all?? I mean, do they actually believe the president can get Medicare-for-all through in this congress??

But fact of the matter is, we're getting the Public Option! Still, in order to do this, we'll have to re-elect President Obama because Robme is only interested in 100% repeal of Obamacare, and although he won't have the votes in Congress to, he has ways to weaken it, and we can't let that happen.

Obama/Biden 2012 & a Democratic Congress

[janedrake]

(10-28-2012 07:53 AM)BlueCaliDem4DFP Wrote:  

Quote:I think this is really good. Hiding right out in the open and people ignored it....now they'll see results.

Can you believe it that there are still people on DU who say that this isn't enough, and they want Medicare-for-all?? I mean, do they actually believe the president can get Medicare-for-all through in this congress??

But fact of the matter is, we're getting the Public Option! Still, in order to do this, we'll have to re-elect President Obama because Robme is only interested in 100% repeal of Obamacare, and although he won't have the votes in Congress to, he has ways to weaken it, and we can't let that happen.

Obama/Biden 2012 & a Democratic Congress

@Blue - I surely do believe it. I'll never forget how so many were so far left they were holding hands with the far right in trying to kill the bill to "start all over" on a fantasy. I remember conversations where "progressives" went so far as to say even if they were ill and could be helped by the ACA, they would rather not seek help and die, rather than actually receive care and help through a plan that wasn't their beloved single-payer. And they were so busy whinging about the insurance companies not being abolished, that they completely missed the part of ACA that allows states -- such as Vermont has done -- to go single-payer. It was really a frustrating and disgusting time to be in conversations with "progressives." I still largely blame that part of the tent for doing everything they could to demoralize Democratic voters leading up to the 2010 mid-terms.

[TBF]

reason to keep the act. My educated guess on this is that folks simply do not know what is in it.

[TBF]

I love the idea for it's simplicity - simply remove the age restriction.

But I accept the ACA as something we can build on. Would love it if we could get to the point of rolling it into "medicare for all" at some point. If it went to an up/down vote in Congress today it would never pass. Too much lobbying money and dis-information campaigns would kill it. Of course it would be optimal, we'll get there eventually.

Actually I think it may be companies that ultimately push for it. In countries such as Japan they don't have to factor worker's health care costs into balance sheets. Down the road this may be the driver for universal health care in this country ...

[jaxx]

(10-31-2012 09:00 AM)TBF Wrote:  I love the idea for it's simplicity - simply remove the age restriction.

But I accept the ACA as something we can build on. Would love it if we could get to the point of rolling it into "medicare for all" at some point. If it went to an up/down vote in Congress today it would never pass. Too much lobbying money and dis-information campaigns would kill it. Of course it would be optimal, we'll get there eventually.

Actually I think it may be companies that ultimately push for it. In countries such as Japan they don't have to factor worker's health care costs into balance sheets. Down the road this may be the driver for universal health care in this country ...

Good comment. And welcome to DFP!

[johnaries]

(10-31-2012 09:00 AM)TBF Wrote:  I love the idea for it's simplicity - simply remove the age restriction.

But I accept the ACA as something we can build on. Would love it if we could get to the point of rolling it into "medicare for all" at some point. If it went to an up/down vote in Congress today it would never pass. Too much lobbying money and dis-information campaigns would kill it. Of course it would be optimal, we'll get there eventually.

Actually I think it may be companies that ultimately push for it. In countries such as Japan they don't have to factor worker's health care costs into balance sheets. Down the road this may be the driver for universal health care in this country ...

You are so correct on so many levels! Yes, the ACA is the First Step. In exit polling, it seemed that the "wording" was the difference, with the majority of people supporting "Medicare for All"! THAT is a MAJOR step forward!

One thing that has been lost in this discussion, IMHO, is the danage this would do on the economy. Let's be clear, if there was Medicare for All, it would NOT "Socialize" medicine - it would merely Socialize Medical Insurance. But what would that do to all the Health Insurance companies?

Well, they wouldn't supply Primary Care, they would only supply supplemental care. But they would still have a market, so they would still exist. Medicare would supply Primary Care payments, so that the costs of Supplemental care would go down. Doctors would still make profits, but they won't have to pay exorbitant Insurance fees. Plus, their Administrative costs will go down once they have a single set of Insurance Codes that they have to adhere to (a situation that I am familiar with in the Transportation Industry, although it is MUCH more complicated in the Insurance industry). We could save billions of dollars alone just by standardizing these codes.

These are some of my ideas for reducing costs to the individual, and by extension to the National Deficit.

[sandnsea]

We got our letter today letting us know that our current insurance subsidy would end next December and we would move into the state exchange. I don't know if it will be better or worse, but at least everybody will have an opportunity to be covered. It's infuriating that every state won't take responsibility for their citizens.