The Affordable Care Act

What is it? Affordable Care Act was designed to: – Increase the quality and affordability of health insurance – Decrease the number of uninsured in the United States – Reduce the costs of healthcare for both individuals and government

The Affordable Care Act The law provides government financial help for those who qualify, along with other measures that work to expand the number of people who have health insurance. Creates new rules that insurers must follow: – Covering people with pre-existing conditions – Charging the same rates regardless of gender

Affordable Care Act The law does not impact people who receive healthcare from their employers It was written specifically for Americans who are currently uninsured or who cannot afford the type of coverage they need.

Affordable Care vs. Government Run Healthcare England and Canada provide healthcare for their citizens Canadian government sponsors healthcare for all citizens – funded by the government In the U.S. only some citizens receive government supplemented healthcare via Medicaid. Law is designed to make it easier to purchase health care – not pay for it.

How It Works Law only guarantees availability of healthcare for all Citizens must enroll on their own to receive the coverage and must pay something for it, though the cost may be decreased by government financial assistance.

Political Objections to the Law The law requires all Americans to have health insurance – opponents believe that represents a federal government overreach. Strong resentment for the way in which the law was passed – Democrats were in control of House and Senate – very little involvement from Republicans

Pros to Affordable Care Act Preventative services are free For people who can’t afford health insurance, the federal government will pay their state to add them to Medicaid coverage. Income required is $31,000 a year for a family of four. Those who don’t qualify will receive tax credit if their income is below $94,000 for a family of four.

Pros Insurance companies can longer drop if you get sick Does not apply to businesses with less than 50 employees Larger businesses are required to offer health insurance but will receive tax credits for doing so Children can stay on their parent’s insurance plan until the age of 26 – This added more than 3 million previously uninsured individuals to insurance policies.

Pros Affordable Care Act will lower our budget deficit by $143 billion over next 10 years by raising taxes on some and shifting cost burdens

Cons of Affordable Care Act Increased coverage may raise healthcare cost Higher net medical spending for preventative screenings for cancer and cholesterol tests. Those who do not purchase healthcare will be charged a tax of $95 or 1% of income (whichever is higher) About 4 million people will wind up paying tax instead of purchasing insurance

Cons Drug costs will raise Between 3-5 million employees may lose healthcare if their company finds it more cost efficient to pay the tax rather than pay for insurance 30.1 million Americans currently purchase their own health insurance – if their health insurance is not acceptable they will be forced to purchase new health insurance

Cons 54% of Americans opposed the Affordable Care Act Many working to repeal the Act Premiums and deductibles may rise for already existing plans to offset the rising healthcare costs.

Your thoughts… Will you continue to implement the Affordable Care Act when you become President? Why or why not?