Pages

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Affordable Healthcare Act will lead to Medicare for All

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: WHAT IT DOES AND HOW IT HELPS EVERYONE http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/index.html http://www.mypeace.tv/video/allowing-insurance-companies-to-manage-healthcare-is-criminal http://www.facebook.com/pages/Progressive-Democrats-of-America-Network/124449437638183 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Single-Payer-Healthcare/155582284508708 http://www.mypeace.tv/video/medicare-allow-anyone-2-buy HR 4789 http://mypeace.tv/video/2550-bankruptcies-filed-daily prior to the Affordable Healthcare Act being passed before March of 2010 http://www.mypeace.tv/video/healthcare-is-a-civil-right http://democrats.com/single-payer-petition PLEASE SHARE THIS http://healthcare-now.org/ 800 453 1305 2010 • Prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage to children under 19 years of age due to a pre-existing condition • Prevents plans from rescinding coverage • Eliminates lifetime dollar limits on insurance coverage for essential benefits (like hospitalization) • Requires coverage for certain preventive services without deductible, co-pay or coinsurance • Regulates use of annual dollar limits on amount of insurance coverage an individual may receive • Provides relief for Medicare seniors who hit the prescription drug donut hole (after spending $2,800-responsible for full costs until $4,550 is reached) • Provides insurance for uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions • Extends coverage for young adults (on parents plan until turn 26 years old) and early retirees (between ages of 55–65) • Increases number of people on Medicaid 18 million by 2014 2011 • Provides prescription drug discounts for Medicare seniors • Covers annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans for seniors on Medicare • Allows states to offer home and community based services to disabled individuals through Medicaid rather than institutional care in nursing homes (Oct 2011) 2012 • Aims to understand and reduce health disparities • Provides for voluntary options for long-term care insurance for adults who become disabled 2013 • Improves preventive health coverage • Additional funding for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) 2014 • Prohibits discrimination due to preexisting conditions or gender • Eliminates annual limits on insurance coverage • Provides tax credits for middle class to afford insurance • Provides health insurance exchanges for those who do not have insurance coverage • Expands eligibility for Medicaid • Requires individuals to obtain insurance if they can afford it • Uses employer insurance funds to purchase insurance through insurance exchanges Health care providers 2010 • Cracks down on fraud and waste in Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP (new screening tools for health care providers) • Expands primary care workforce • Increases payments for rural health providers • Strengthens and expands community health centers and expands preventive and primary health care services at existing sites 2011 • Establishes Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)–to test new ways of delivering care to patients, and national strategy to improve quality in health care • Mandates care transitions for seniors (when they leave the hospital) to avoid unnecessary readmissions by coordinating care and connecting patients to services in the community • Mandates that 85% (large group) or 80% (small group) of all premiums are spent on health care services and health care quality improvement 2012 • Links payment to quality outcomes (value-based purchasing) in Medicare (hospital performance publicly reported) starting with heart attacks, health failure, pneumonia, surgical care, health-care associated infections and patients’ perceptions of care (after Oct 2012) • Encourages Accountable Care Organizations (physicians join together to coordinate patient care, improve quality, prevent disease and illness and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions) • Mandates reduction of paperwork and administrative costs (standardize billing and implement electronic health information exchange) (Oct 2012) 2013 • Bundles payments to encourage hospitals, doctors and other providers to work together to improve the coordination and quality of patient care—flat rate payment for episode of care • Increases Medicaid payments for primary care doctors 2014 • Ensures coverage for individuals participating in clinical trials for cancer or other life-threatening diseases • Provides small business tax credit (for contribution to provide health insurance for employees) 2015 • Pays physicians based on value not volume (higher payments for those providing higher value or quality care) http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/index.html http://www.mypeace.tv/video/dont-get-sick-gop-healthcare