Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

mucifer

(23,373 posts)
Wed Jan 18, 2017, 08:57 AM Jan 2017

Obamacare Hasn't Just Made People Healthier, but More Financially Secure

And this is especially true for Women:

From "The Atlantic"

Last week, Republicans in Congress took the first steps of many to fulfill their promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In the early hours of Thursday morning, GOP senators voted down amendments protecting some of the ACA’s most popular provisions, including those that allowed young people to be covered by their parents’ insurance until the age of 26, prevented women from being charged more than men for coverage because of their gender, lowered drug costs, and protected individuals with pre-existing conditions. That vote—and a similar vote in the House of Representatives on Friday—cleared the way for a budget-reconciliation process that would repeal the health law that has extended care to more than 20 million Americans.

As is widely discussed, the health impacts of repeal are potentially disastrous. But less well understood are the economic consequences, which are significant too—especially for women. In the estimation of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the proposed repeal of key portions of the ACA could cause individual health-insurance premiums to rise 20 to 25 percent in the first year, and to double by 2026.



Not only were many women paying more for insurance before the ACA, but they were paying more for incomplete coverage. Insurers routinely denied women coverage for pre-existing conditions such as pregnancy and childbirth. Many plans did not provide coverage for pregnancy, and uninsured women who became pregnant often found themselves with few options. According to the NWLC, in states that did not mandate maternity coverage, only 6 percent of the individual-market health plans available to a 30-year-old woman provided maternity coverage.

The ACA banned practices like these, and brought about much higher insurance rates for women. In 2013, before the ACA’s full implementation, 18 percent of American women were uninsured, compared to 11 percent today. (The comparable figures for the general population were roughly the same.) As a result of the law, 8.7 million women gained maternity coverage, 48.5 million women with private insurance had access to preventive services at no cost, and women can no longer be charged higher premiums because of pre-existing conditions. Moreover, the number of women who filled their birth-control prescriptions without co-pays grew from 1.3 million to 5.1 million. As a result, women collectively saved more than $483 million in out-of-pocket birth-control costs, an average of $269 per person.


https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/01/obamacare-repeal-financial-security/513008/


This is so horrible what is happening now.
2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Obamacare Hasn't Just Made People Healthier, but More Financially Secure (Original Post) mucifer Jan 2017 OP
For 30 MILLION people it's been a HUGE burden off their shoulders Bengus81 Jan 2017 #1
Two things that the GOP absolutely doesn't want: Orrex Jan 2017 #2

Bengus81

(6,907 posts)
1. For 30 MILLION people it's been a HUGE burden off their shoulders
Wed Jan 18, 2017, 09:04 AM
Jan 2017

I still think those people insured numbers are higher than reported. Most polices do NOT cover just one person but several. Now we're turning back around to the same endless worry about how to go without health insurance or go broke trying to pay for health insurance.



Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Obamacare Hasn't Just Mad...