Two Years Later: The Benefits of the Affordable Care Act for Louisiana

For too long, too many hardworking Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to insurance companies and put barriers between patients and their doctors. The Affordable Care Act gives hardworking families in Louisiana the security they deserve. La nueva ley de Cuidado de Salud obliga las compañías de seguros a actuar según las normas puesto que le prohíbe que dejen de brindarle cobertura si usted se enferma, que le facturen hasta dejarlo en bancarrota debido a límites anuales o de por vida, y en breve, que discriminen a cualquier persona con una afección preexistente.

Todos los estadounidenses tendrán la seguridad de saber que no tienen que preocuparse por perder la cobertura si son despedidos o cambian de trabajo.  And insurance companies now have to cover your preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings. La nueva ley también realiza importantes inversiones en esfuerzos estatales y comunitarios que promueven la salud pública, previenen las enfermedades y protegen contra emergencias de salud pública.

La reforma de salud ya está marcando la diferencia para los residentes de Louisiana en:

Providing 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’s coverage, and, thanks to this provision, 2.5 million young people have gained coverage nationwide. A partir de junio de 2011, 45,297 adultos jóvenes de Louisiana obtuvieron la cobertura de seguros como resultado a la nueva ley de cuidados de salud.

Making prescription drugs affordable for seniors
Thanks to the new health care law, 55,799 people with Medicare in Louisiana received a $250 rebate to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole in 2010. In 2011, 52,932 people with Medicare received a 50 percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. This discount resulted in an average savings of $571 per person, and a total savings of $30,247,275 in Louisiana. By 2020, the law will close the donut hole.

Covering preventive services with no deductible or co-pay
In 2011, 487,292 people with Medicare in Louisiana received free preventive services – such as mammograms and colonoscopies – or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor. And 54 million Americans with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing, including 719,000 in Louisiana.

Providing better value for your premium dollar through the 80/20 Rule
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 1,069,000 Louisiana residents with private insurance coverage will receive greater value for their premium dollars.

Scrutinizing unreasonable premium increases
In every State and for the first time under Federal law, insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more. Louisiana has received $1 million under the new law to help fight unreasonable premium increases.

Removing lifetime limits on health benefits
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, 1,411,000 residents, including 538,000 women and 385,000 children, are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage. La ley también restringe el uso de límites anuales y los prohíbe completamente en 2014.

Creating new coverage options for individuals with pre-existing conditions
As of the end of 2011, 377 previously uninsured residents of Louisiana 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 Louisiana, check aquí.

Preventing illness and promoting health
Since 2010, Louisiana has received $13.1 million in grants from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. This new fund was created to support effective policies in Louisiana, its communities, and nationwide so that all Americans can lead longer, more productive lives.

Increasing support for community health centers
The Affordable Care Act increases the funding available to community health centers in all 50 states, including the 121 existing community health centers in Louisiana. Los centros de salud de Louisiana han recibido $31.3 millón para crear nuevas instalaciones para centros de salud en áreas sin servicio médico, permitir a los centros de salud que aumenten la cantidad de pacientes atendidos, extender los servicios preventivos de atención médica primaria y apoyar los principales proyectos de construcción y renovación.

Strengthening partnerships with Louisiana
The law gives states support for their work to build the health care workforce, crack down on fraud, and support public health.  So far, Louisiana has received more than $70.4 million from the Affordable Care Act. Examples of Affordable Care Act grants not outlined above to Louisiana include:

• $423,000 to support the Cuerpo Nacional de Servicios de Salud, al asistir a Louisiana en el reintegro de préstamos educativos para los profesionales de los cuidados de salud a cambio de ejercer su profesión en áreas de escasez de profesionales de la salud.
• $5.9 millones para health professions workforce demonstration projects, which will help low income individuals receive training and enter health care professions that face shortages.
• $5.8 millones para school-based health centers, to help clinics expand and provide more health care services such as screenings to students.
• $650,000 para support outreach to eligible Medicare beneficiaries about their benefits.
• $191,000 para Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, organizations run by and for families with children with special health care needs.
• $10.3 millones para Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. These programs bring health professionals to meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a child’s health, development, and ability to learn - such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition.

Última actualización: 15 de marzo de 2012

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