CASE STUDY THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (OBAMA CARE) The stories of everyday Americans and, more importantly, the courage it took to share those stories is what kept this effort alive and moving forward even when it looked like it was lost. They are why we got this done. They are why I signed this bill into law. President Barack Obama, June 22, 2010 On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, putting in place comprehensive reforms that improve access to affordable health coverage for everyone and protect consumers from abusive insurance company practices. The text that follows is a simplified version of the original one which was used to introduce the law to the American people. Under the health care law, insurers can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on essential health benefits and annual limits are being phased out by 2014. More than 105 million Americans no longer have lifetime limits thanks to the law. Insurance companies can no longer drop the coverage when people get sick due to a mistake made on their application. Why an ACA? In the past, insurance companies could take advantage of people. They could deny coverage to children who had asthma or were born with a heart defect, put a limit to the amount of care they would pay for, or cancel the coverage when people got sick just by finding an accidental mistake in their paperwork. The Affordable Care Act creates a Patient s Bill of Rights that protects people from these and other abusive practices. As a consequence, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage or charge more because of a pre-existing condition. Other benefits of the ACA Moreover, the law helps people by bringing down health care costs and making sure their health care dollars are spent wisely. Insurance companies will now be accountable to their customers for how they are spending premium dollars, and how much they are raising rates. Also, the law will help lower costs through tax credits and marketplaces where insurers will have to compete. The health care law builds on what works in our health care system and fixes what s broken by providing more health insurance choices and better access to care. Stop to dollar and lifetime limits In the past, some people with cancer or other chronic illnesses ran out of insurance coverage because their health care expenses reached a dollar limit imposed by their insurance company. 1 Adapted from: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ healthreform/healthcare-overview Answer the questions. 1. What were the two main objectives of the ACA? 2. How can the ACA stop the abuses of insurance companies? 3. What happened in the past to people with chronic diseases? 4. What happened in the past if a patient made a mistake when writing the application? 5. How can the law cut costs? 6. How does the ACA fix what is broken? accountable: responsabile Bill of Rights: Carta dei Diritti to run out: esaurire wisely: saggiamente SOCIETY HELPS 305