Published: August 03, 2010
New Law Strengthens Pennsylvania's Working Families and Small Businesses
Congressman Sestak Discusses Comprehensive Health Care Reform
Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) joined health care advocates at a forum hosted by Families USA to help explain the new health care benefits becoming available under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the reasons that he worked hard to help pass it earlier this year. After having held two town halls shortly after the law's passage, the Congressman took this opportunity to discuss the concrete ways that it is quickly helping to ease the burden of health care expenses on working families and small businesses. This Saturday, he will bring together more than 50 health care-related organizations at his Healthy Families Service Fair at 10:00 a.m. at Upper Darby High School to ensure resources are made available to his constituents.
|
"It is the responsibility of those who worked on this effort of securing affordable care for all Americans to now explain to people the ways they can and will benefit," said Congressman Sestak. "We are providing millions of uninsured Americans with quality, affordable health care, delivering much needed relief to seniors in the form of prescription drug benefits, and offering tax credits to small businesses to enable them to provide coverage for their employees. These initiatives are especially timely after so many working families lost their jobs and savings in the recession."
Congressman Sestak participated in a panel discussion at The First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, along with John Dodds, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project; Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, MD/MPH, who is President-Elect National Physicians Alliance; Eileen Connelly, Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union Pennsylvania State Council; and Kathleen Stoll, Deputy Executive Director of Families USA, a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. More than 150 people attended and had the opportunity to ask questions about ways the new laws will help them.
"We took a practical approach to solve a serious problem that so few rose up over the decades to address," said the Congressman. "This was the right thing to do not only for individuals facing skyrocketing premiums as more than 500 Pennsylvanians have been losing their insurance every day, but also our economic competitiveness. We lose more than $100 billion of productivity each year because of the uninsured. As someone who has always had excellent health care from my years of service, I came to appreciate it when my family needed it the most. I wanted to deliver this same sense of health security to all Pennsylvanians. We should have a system that benefits everyone, not just the big insurance companies."
Among the provisions to support working families and small businesses, the Congressman has highlighted how the new law:
Grants immediate, affordable health coverage to uninsured Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions, and expands access to affordable coverage for Pennsylvanians who purchase their own health insurance. Starting in September 2010, all co-payments for preventative services will be eliminated.
Provides safeguards to seniors by beginning to close the Medicare prescription drug donut hole. In 2010, it provides a $250 rebate to seniors who hit the donut hole, where seniors are required to pay the full cost of their drugs. In 2011, it provides a 50% discount on brand name drugs in the donut hole, and completely phases out the donut hole by 2020. It also eliminates co-pays for preventative care under Medicare starting in January 2011.
Ensures young adults, the nation's largest group of uninsured, have access to coverage* by requiring insurers to allow them to stay on their parents' health care plan up to the age of 26. This provision begins in September 2010.
Ends the worst abuses of the private health insurance industry. By 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against individuals with pre-existing conditions, older Americans and women, drop coverage when you get sick, or cap lifetime or annual benefits regardless of need.
Provides the largest middle class tax break in history, $464 billion in health care tax credits for working class families over 10 years.
Aids small businesses growth by providing $40 billion of small business health care tax credits over ten years and reducing their health care costs by 18 percent.
Reduces the federal deficit by $143 billion over ten years and as much as $1.2 trillion over the next twenty years, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
Upon assuming office, one of Congressman Sestak's first priorities was to reform our health care system. He joined the Small Business and Education and Labor Committees' health care subcommittees, and immediately set to work finding practical solutions to the nation's health care crisis. After proudly casting his vote for the new comprehensive health care reform law, the Congressman proposed even greater improvements, including incentivizing quality over quantity of care and investing in universal electronic health care records and life-saving medical research.
Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and now serves as the Representative from the 7th District of Pennsylvania. He led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of "Deep Blue," the Navy's anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the "Global War on Terrorism." He served as President Clinton's Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
Search News
