Thank You Democrats!

Thank You Democrats!

Just before noon, on Tuesday March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the first comprehensive reform of health care in America’s history -- the Affordable Care Act. Ever since Teddy Roosevelt first proposed national health care in 1912, millions of Americans have hoped and worked for this day. After a hundred years of trying, the Democratic Party and President Obama have delivered.

This year, in West Virginia and across America, the Affordable Care Act will make a big difference in the lives of:

Seniors The Affordable Care Act lowers seniors' prescription drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole (it closes completely by 2020). The Act: (a) eliminates co-payments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program; (b) creates a temporary re-insurance program to help early retirees get insurance; and (c) extends the life of the Medicare Program from 2017 to 2027.

Children and Young Adults Children (and all Americans by 2014) with pre-existing conditions will now be able to get health insurance. Young adults will be able to stay on their parents' insurance policies until they're 26 years old.

Small Businesses The Affordable Care Act extends tax credits to about 4 million small businesses to help them provide health insurance to their employees. <<--

Everyone The Affordable Care Act keeps insurance companies from dropping coverage when you get sick or injured and eliminates lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all insurance plans. The Act readies Community Health Centers in preparation for a doubling of the number of patients over the next 5 years, and invests in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors.

And that is just in the first year. When the Insurance Exchanges are up and running in 2014, everyone who now buys health insurance on the expensive individual market, and tens of millions of people who are uninsured, will buy their insurance as part of the Exchanges' “insurance pool” - right alongside every member of Congress. You heard that right; congressmen and women will get their insurance on the exchanges.

In 10 Years, no American will go bankrupt because they got sick or had an accident. No American will lose his or her health insurance just when they need it most. No American will be denied insurance because they have a pre-existing condition. And our deficit will be $300 billion less than it would have been without the bill.

In 20 Years, no one will remember it was ever any other way. And our deficit will be $1.3 trillion less than it would have been without this bill.

Thank You Democrats! You made us proud!