New Report: Affordable Care Act Gives Americans More Security, Better Benefits

The White House today released a new report highlighting the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. The report discusses how the Affordable Care Act has improved the health care system for millions of Americans and includes stories of Americans who have been helped by the law.

“Today, two years after we passed health care reform, more young adults have insurance, more seniors are saving money on their prescription drugs, and more Americans can rest easy knowing they won’t be dropped from their insurance plans if they get sick,” said President Obama.  “The law has made a difference for millions of Americans, and over time, it will help give even more working and middle-class families the security they deserve.”

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act:

• 2.5 million more young adults have health insurance on their parent’s plan.
• 5.1 million people with Medicare saved an average of $635 on the cost of their prescription drugs. And everyone on Medicare can get preventive services like mammograms for free.
• Insurance companies must spend at least 80 percent of your premium dollars on health care and not overhead and cannot raise your premiums by 10 percent or more with no accountability.
• It is illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage to children because of a pre-existing condition. And in 2014, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition will be illegal.

The report spotlights examples of Americans from across the country who have benefitted from the law including:

• Devon Grochowski graduated from Pennsylvania State University in May of 2010 but she doesn’t get benefits, including health insurance, at work. Without the provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows her to stay on her parent’s plan until she is 26, Devon would have had to consider leaving her job to get one that offers benefits, even if that meant leaving the field where she’s hoping to build her career.
• Michael and Margaret Novak own a grocery store in a small rural town in Montana. They were able to receive a small business tax credit worth $10,500 to help them continue to offer health insurance to their more than two dozen employees.
• Amy Ward of West Des Moines, Iowa came down with a rare infection that nearly cost her life. Without the Affordable Care Act, Amy and her husband may not have been able to afford all the care she needed to recover. Before the new health care law, Amy's health insurance policy had a lifetime dollar limit.
The report released today also discusses how the new law is investing in public health and improving the quality of health care for all Americans. New health policies that cut red tape will save providers and health plans an estimated $12 billion. Additionally, investments in public health will expand the number of health care providers in underserved areas by supporting the National Health Service Corps and strengthening community health centers.

For additional information on your State and stories from Americans already benefitting from the law, visit obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/healthreform.