Expanding Health Insurance Coverage to 95% of Americans
(The fourth topic of today's bipartisan White House health insurance reform meeting is expanding health insurance coverage.)Democrats are committed to providing health security to America’s families by guaranteeing everyone access to affordable, quality health insurance.
No one should be forced into bankruptcy because of an illness. Unfortunately, millions of Americans live in fear of just that while they are forced to go without health insurance because they don’t have access to affordable coverage either through their workplace or because of pre-existing conditions or age which make coverage unaffordable. Millions more have coverage that fails to meet their needs when they need care.
The President's Proposal Expands Coverage.
The plan provides coverage for 95% of all Americans – expanding health insurance coverage to over 31 million more Americans. It:
- Provides financial credits to make premiums and cost sharing more affordable for those who today simply cannot afford coverage and care.
- Expands Medicaid to cover those with the lowest income.
- Eliminates job lock and support a more mobile economy and entrepreneurship by ensuring continuous access to comprehensive, affordable coverage regardless of where you work or live, and regardless of your age and health status.
- Enacts real insurance reforms that will allow more people access to insurance and force insurance companies to compete on cost and quality rather than their current strategy of cherry picking only the healthy and young.
- Establishes shared responsibility among individuals, employers and the government so that all contribute to and benefit from a new system that guarantees quality, affordable coverage for all.
The President's Proposal Provides Options that Meet Individual Needs.
- Creates a new health insurance marketplace, called an Exchange, that will allow consumers to choose a health insurance plan that best meets their needs. Ensures everyone has a place to access health care, including when they lose a job, as they age, or get sick.
- Requires insurers to cover essential benefits, including prevention and well child care, so that people know insurance will cover the items and services they need.
- Protects and improves Medicare by filling fill the Republican Medicare prescription drug donut hole, so that seniors will no longer be forced to pay the full cost of their medications during the current coverage gap. And it makes additional improvements to Medicare to encourage the efficient delivery of high quality, well-coordinated care, eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, and extend Medicare solvency by more than nine years.
These expansions in coverage benefit everyone. Today, every family that has insurance is paying an extra $1,000 in premiums to cover the costs of the uninsured. Covering everyone is not only the right thing to do, it is an economic imperative to help lower all of our premiums.