| auntiedonna@rocketmail.com |
January 21, 2011
Mrs. Auntie Donna
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Dear Mrs. Donna,
Thank you for writing to express your opposition to repealing the health reform law. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me about this important issue.
Like you, I do not support repealing a law that will provide affordable insurance to over 30 million Americans who would otherwise lack it. Repealing H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would abolish important initiatives like:
o the small business tax credits that will make employee coverage more affordable;
o the $250 rebate to America's seniors who have fallen into the Medicare Part D 'donut' hole;
o the ban on insurance companies dropping people from coverage when they get sick;
o the prohibition on insurance companies denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions;
o the ban on insurance companies placing lifetime caps on coverage and the ban on restrictive annual limits on coverage;
o the temporary high-risk pool that will provide immediate access to Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition;
o the requirement that health plans allow young people to remain on their parents' health insurance plan up to their 26th birthday;
o deficit reduction of $143 billion over the next ten years, and $1.2 trillion more over the following decade.
In the last year, I have heard from thousand of constituents on all sides of the issue. I have held live and tele-town hall meetings and talked to constituents - at neighborhood stores and events. In the end, I voted for health reform because it will bring coverage to 139,000 uninsured residents in the 4th Congressional District. In 2008, there were 2,200 health care-related bankruptcies in the 4th Congressional District caused primarily by health care costs not covered by insurance. Hospitals in the 4th Congressional District give away millions of dollars in care and over 14,000 small businesses are struggling to provide insurance for their employees. Clearly the system is broken.
The health reform law will immediately begin to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses. This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will
begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make offering coverage more affordable. In 2010, adults who were uninsured because of pre-existing conditions gained access to affordable insurance. For those on Medicare, this law started to close the Medicare Part D donut hole in 2010 by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. This year, the law institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the donut hole. The donut hole will be completely closed by 2020. New private health insurance plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. Also, the law will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
There are many other important reforms. Individuals with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. The law outlaws that practice for new health plans as well as grandfathered group plans. New health care plans and select grandfathered plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday. Finally, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. Community health centers in the 4th District will receive increased funding under this law and increased payments to primary care doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants will ensure that we have enough physicians in the workforce.
The law does all of this and, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, reduces the deficit by $138 billion in the first ten years (2010 - 2019) and $1.2 trillion in the second ten years. Through a combination of efficiency, savings, and revenue raisers, this law is fully paid for. This law provides an overall net savings to the American people by reducing the deficit, improving their health, and increasing their productivity, which will boost the economy.
I worked hard to make this law the best that it could be. After hundreds of hours of debate in the House and Senate, I was proud to vote for this law to extend affordable health insurance to 32 million Americans who are now uninsured and to stabilize the system to protect those who are insured.
I am honored to be your representative in Congress and I hope that my office can be a useful resource for you now and in the future. For more information, please visit my office online at www.HankJohnson.house.gov and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any future questions or concerns.
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