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The U.S. Senate made history Wednesday night with the release of the Patient Protection and Affordability Act.
The act will give a lift to Montana's small businesses and working families by providing stable, quality health care. It will strengthen Medicare and control runaway costs while meeting the particular needs of the state's wide open spaces.
"We're encouraged that the Senate is moving quickly," said Jim Fleischmann, Montana director for Change That Works, a nonprofit grassroots organization with employees in a dozen states. "Real health care reform will bring accessible, affordable health care to Montana. And it can help small business owners who want to provide medical insurance for their employees."
He added that he's pleased that the Senate bill, like the Affordable Health Care for America Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives 11 days ago, includes a public health insurance option.
"A public option will help guarantee choice and accountability and help break the stranglehold that Big Insurance has on our health care system," he said.
How it will help:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will:
Increase health care choices, resulting in more competition and choices than are currently available.
Prohibit any rationing of health care.
Provide accessible and affordable coverage for the uninsured with pre-existing conditions.
Provide re-insurance for retiree health benefit plans. The Act will create immediate access to re-insurance for employer health plans providing coverage for early retirees. It will help protect coverage while reducing premiums for employers and retirees.
Close the coverage gap in the Medicare (Part D) drug benefit. The Act will reduce the size of the "donut hole" by raising the ceiling on the initial coverage period by $500 in 2010. It will guarantee 50 percent price discounts on brand-name drugs purchased by low and middle-income beneficiaries in the coverage gap.
Award small business tax credits. The Act will offer tax credits to small business to make employee coverage more affordable. Tax credits of up to 50 percent of premiums will be available.
Prohibit discrimination based on salary. The Act will prohibit group health plans from establishing eligibility rules for health care coverage that has the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees.
Spur the state economy and generate state tax revenues. Investments in primary care clinics and community health centers included in the Act will create jobs for health care providers and staff, generating local economic activity.
Reduce drug prices. States spent $15 million providing prescription drugs to Medicaid beneficiaries in 2007. The Act will increase the Medicaid drug rebates, benefiting states and the federal government.
Source: Democratic Policy Committee
http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-s...
Why we need reform:
In Montana:
• 30 people lose their health insurance everyday.
• 16 percent of residents are uninsured.
• A total of 22,920 residents will have lost coverage from January 2008 to December 2010 unless there's health care reform.
• A typical Montana family will pay $21,822 for health coverage in 2019, unless there's health care reform.
Source: Center for American Progress
http://www.americanprogress.or...
In the United States:
• 16,653 families file for bankruptcy every week because they can't pay their medical bills.
http://pnhp.org/new_bankruptcy...
• 826 people in the United States die How often? because they lack affordable, accessible health care.
http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/2009_...
For more comments or information, please contact: John Firehammer (406) 531-6958 or john.firehammer@changethatworks.net
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