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BISHOP CALLS SCOTUS DECISION ON HEALTHCARE A VICTORY FOR GEORGIA

June 28, 2012

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced their 5 to 4 vote to uphold the Health Care law.

“With the Supreme Court’s upholding of the health care law, health insurers are still stopped from denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, senior citizens’ prescription drug costs have declined significantly, young people still have the ability to stay on their parents’ plan until the age of 26, those with deteriorating health are safe from being dropped by their insurance company, and community health centers can continue to get the funding needed to provide primary care to those who need it. Understanding that this bill is not perfect, I am thankful that my constituents will continue to be benefitted by the continuation of the healthcare law.”

As reported by Healthcare.gov, the immediate provisions within the Health Care law have already benefitted individual Georgians greatly.

Prescription drugs for Seniors: Since the law was enacted, Georgia residents with Medicare have saved a total of $102,152,300 on their prescription drugs. 106,922 people with Medicare in Georgia received a $250 rebate to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole in 2010. By 2020, the law will close the donut hole.

Removing Lifetime Limits: The law bans insurance companies from imposing lifetime dollar limits on health benefits – freeing cancer patients and individuals suffering from other chronic diseases from having to worry about going without treatment because of their lifetime limits. Already, 3,317,000 residents, including 1,256,000 women and 916,000 children, are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage. The law also restricts the use of annual limits and bans them completely in 2014.

New coverage for those with Pre-existing conditions: As of April 2012, 2,066 previously uninsured residents of Georgia who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under the new health reform law. To learn more about the plan available in Georgia.

Community Health Centers: Health centers in Georgia have received $49.0 million to create new health center sites in medically underserved areas, enable health centers to increase the number of patients served, expand preventive and primary health care services, and/or support major construction and renovation projects.

New coverage options for Young Adults: Health plans are now required to allow parents to keep their children under age 26 without job-based coverage on their family coverage, and, thanks to this provision, 3.1 million young people have gained coverage nationwide. As of December 2011, 123,000 young adults in Georgia gained insurance coverage as a result of the health care law.

Better value for your dollar: Under the new health care law, insurance companies must provide consumers greater value by spending generally at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health care and quality improvements instead of overhead, executive salaries or marketing. If they don’t, they must provide consumers a rebate or reduce premiums. This means that 243,813 Georgia residents with private insurance coverage will benefit from $19,764,771 in rebates from insurance companies this summer. These rebates will average $134 for the 147,000 families in Georgia covered by a policy.

For more information and statistics, please visit Healthcare.gov.

Issues:Healthcare