by, Caryn Freeman
It’s been two years since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act setting in motion a contentious battle on Capitol Hill that still rages today. The law, as it stands, looks to benefit millions of Americans particularly those with pre-existing conditions by including provisions that no longer allow healthcare providers to deny coverage to certain groups.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) held a press conference Thursday touting the program’s success particularly how these new reforms have cut medication costs for seniors living on Medicare. “Since it was signed into law two years ago, health reform has made it possible for over 32 million seniors on Medicare to access free preventive services. It has reduced the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare Part D, and it will eliminate the donut hole by the end of this decade,” Hoyer explained.
Republicans have campaigned heavily against Democrats and the President claiming the Affordable Care Act has plunged America further into debt and promising voters the ACA will be repealed come Fall if Republicans take the White House and the Democratic controlled Senate.
As the battle over the Affordable Care Act continues, two years later Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer released another statement today echoing other Democrats on the Hill as they continue to fight back against Republican claims that the Affordable Care Act has done little for the average American.
“Today, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions – a protection that will extend to all Americans by 2014. They can no longer impose arbitrary caps on coverage, charge women higher premiums than men for the exact same policies, or drop people from their plans when they get sick.”
“Republicans, on the other hand, want to end the Medicare guarantee and turn Medicare into a voucher program that would ask seniors to pay more than $6,000 a year out of pocket. Americans who are age 54 would have to save an additional $182,000 just to cover their health care costs in retirement. The donut hole would reopen, swallowing an additional $44 billion in extra drug costs for seniors through 2020.”