Taking a stand for the middle class - OCSEA

Affordable Care Act
A Victory for all Americans!
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable
Care Act in its entirety, it’s time to move past the infighting
and highlight the real benefits that will come about as
a result of this health care reform. That's according to a recent Kaiser
Family Foundation poll that has found 56 percent of Americans are
ready to move on and let the law take effect.
Here’s what the Affordable Care Act will mean for Americans:
Access to health insurance for nearly 32 million
Americans and lower premiums.
Ability for businesses and individuals to
purchase comprehensive coverage from a
regulated market – which means less money
in insurance companies’ pockets and more
in yours.
No medical discrimination based on
pre-existing conditions.
Investments in women’s health and provisions
that prohibit insurers from charging women
more than men for preventative services.
Young adults will be able to stay on their
parents’ health care plans through age 26.
Closes the donut hole for seniors. Discounts for
seniors on brand-name drugs.
Affordable health care for lower- and middleincome
Americans (up to 400 percent of the
federal poverty line) and coverage for the
sickest Americans.
Tax credits for small businesses that
offer insurance.
As a mother of three daughters, Mansfield
Correction Officer Debbie Davis is glad that the
Affordable Care Act is looking out for women,
including prohibiting insurance companies for
charging more simply because they are women.
A healthy 22-year old woman, the exact age
of one of Debbie’s daughters, can currently be
charged 150 percent more for care than a man
the same age. Debbie is also relieved that she
has the option to cover her girls under her health
insurance through the age of 26.
So you think ACA is all about requiring
Americans to buy health insurance?
According to Kaiser Health News, there
are hundreds of pages in the ACA
legislation that touch on a variety of health
subjects beyond health care, including:
Assistance for businesses that provide health
benefits to early retirees.
While there will be no changes to OCSEA members’ health care
as a result, OCSEA is proud to have been working for years to make
sure that affordable health care is within every American’s reach, said
OCSEA Joint Health Care Committee member Debra King-Hutchinson.
“It’s important that everyone have access to insurance coverage,”
said King-Hutchinson. “Sharing the costs will bring health care costs
down for all Americans. It’s a win-win for working families – with and
without health insurance.”
Postpartum
Depression
Privacy Breaks for
nursing mothers
Oral health Education
and Regulation
Breast Cancer
Awareness
10 Public Employee Quarterly Summer 2012