Health care reform in Montana will:
· *Make 24,200 Montana small businesses eligible for tax credits to provide health care.
· *Prohibit insurance companies from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions for 219,828 children in Montana, starting this year.
· *Reduce Medicare premiums for the 134,000 Montana seniors who are not enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
· *Ensure affordable coverage options for 159,000 Montanans who are uninsured and 79,000 Montanans who purchase health insurance through the individual market.
· *Allow 94,814 young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans.
What will change for people who are currently insured and people not currently insured?
For people who already have insurance, nothing will change except
• You cannot be dropped for getting sick,
• 80-85% of your premiums must go to medical services, and
• Annual and lifetime caps on your benefits will be eliminated.
People who do not now have insurance will have choices in a market of insurers, and premiums will be subsidized by ability to pay up to 400% of poverty level income ($88,200 for a family of four).
What other provisions are in the new health care program?
· Small businesses will receive significant tax cuts, this year, to help them afford health coverage for all their employees.
· Seniors will receive a rebate to reduce drug costs not yet covered under Medicare.
· Young people will be allowed coverage under their parents' plan until the age of 26.
· Early retirees will receive help to reduce premium costs.
· Children will be protected against discrimination on the basis of medical history.
· Uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions can join a special high-risk pool to get the coverage they need, starting in just 90 days.
· Insured Americans will be protected from seeing their insurance revoked when they get sick, or facing restrictive annual limits on the care they receive.
How much will it cost and how is it paid for?
The whole program will cost $940 billion over ten years, with overall deficit reduction of $143 billion during the same period and over $1 trillion deficit reduction 10 years after that. Most of the cost will be paid for by:
· A small increase Medicare tax on individuals earning more than $200,000 (couples earning more than $250,000) and on investment income of retirees whose investment earnings are over these thresholds
· Taxing the most expensive insurance plans
· Fees from those who can afford it, but choose not to pay for health insurance, and employers that do not offer insurance for employees
10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care:
1. Once reform is fully implemented, 94% of Americans will have health insurance coverage, including 32 million who are currently uninsured.
2. Health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny people coverage because of preexisting conditions—or to drop coverage when people become sick.
3. Just like members of Congress, individuals and small businesses who can't afford to purchase insurance on their own will be able to pool together and choose from a variety of competing plans with lower premiums.
4. Reform will cut the federal budget deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years, and a whopping $1.2 trillion in the following ten years.
5. Health care will be more affordable for families and small businesses thanks to new tax credits, subsidies, and other assistance—paid for largely by taxing insurance companies, drug companies, and the very wealthiest Americans.
6. Seniors on Medicare will pay less for their prescription drugs because the legislation closes the "donut hole" gap in existing coverage.
7. By reducing health care costs for employers, reform will create or save more than 2.5 million jobs over the next decade.
8. Medicaid will be expanded to offer health insurance coverage to an additional 16 million low-income people.
9. Instead of losing coverage after they leave home or graduate from college, young adults will be able to remain on their families' insurance plans until age 26.
10. Community health centers would receive an additional $11 billion, doubling the number of patients who can be treated regardless of their insurance or ability to pay.
