FIXING WHAT AILS HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA TODAY

1. PATIENTS OVER POLITICS FIXING WHAT AILS HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA TODAY

2. INCREASING NUMBER OF AMERICANS UNINSURED • Over 50 million people are uninsured • An additional 72 million people have inadequate insurance • Only 71%of small businesses with 10-24 workers and 48% of businesses with fewer than 10 workers offer coverage 54 million people 47 million people

3. WHAT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM GETTING ADEQUATE INSURANCE?

4. THE SKYROCKETING COST OF HEALTH CARE The annual health care cost for an American family is more than $20,728: That’s a new car! Medical bills contribute to at least 62% of bankruptcies in the United States

5. 30% OF HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE WASTED Totaling over $600 billion More and more people can’t afford to see a doctor

6. EVEN IF YOU COULD AFFORD INSURANCE . . . Your children could only stay on your insurance until age 19 or until they finished school – whichever came first Insurance companies could drop coverage once you became sick Lifetime spending limits: once you became too expensive, insurance companies could stop paying for treatment

7. = pre-existing conditions DIABETES ASTHMA HEARTBURN HEART MURMUR BACK PAIN WAS ONCE PREGNANT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS BIRTH DEFECT DEPRESSION

8. The Wheel of Burden

9. HOW DO WE ENSURE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE?

10. Introducing:

11. THE ACA FOCUSES ON 3 KEY CHALLENGES

12. 32 million Americans will be insured under the Affordable Care Act!

13. HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE COVERED? Medicaid expansion Subsidies to buy into the exchange Tax credits for small businesses Allowing over 5 million young adults to stay on their parents’ plan

14. HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGES = supermarkets for health insurance • Creates a marketplace to compare health plans • Open to everyone – required for members of Congress • Standardizes a minimum benefits package to eliminate flimsy plans • Increases transparency and negotiating ability Begins on January 1st, 2014

15. INDIVIDUAL MANDATE • If you have health insurance you are good to go • If you cannot afford it, you will qualify for subsidies to purchase it in the exchange • If you can afford it and still choose not to get it, you will pay a fine

16. NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS No more lifetime limits on coverage No “pre-existing condition” discrimination 80+% of premiums must be spent on care– or you get $$ back Full implementation by 2014 Protect people from unfair insurance practices

17. NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS Protect people from unfair insurance practices No more discrimination against women by charging higher rates Starts January 1st, 2014

18. PREVENTION AND WELLNESS Invest in Prevention and Healthy Choices *National Prevention Council will create a National Prevention Strategy.

19. THE ACA IS GOOD FOR DOCTORS Better care for your patients Incentives for medical students to choose Primary Care Starts January 1st, 2014

20. WORKFORCE STRENGTHING Educational incentives established for: • Doctors • Nurses • Other health care professionals • Focus on Primary Care • MORE NEEDED!

21. GETTING MORE VALUE FOR OUR MONEY Programs and incentives are put in place for doctors and hospitals to: • Communicate better • Decrease complications • Study what treatments work best • Help patients stay healthy/get well

22. REAL STORIES, REAL PEOPLE Baby Jax • He and his twin brother were born in August of 2011 • Jax was born with a genetic disorder and a serious heart condition • He underwent open heart surgery at only 2 months old • His first day in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit cost $150,000 – he stayed for 21 days

23. REAL STORIES, REAL PEOPLE Baby Jax • Thanks to the ACA, Jax’s family doesn’t have to worry about his “pre-existing” conditions • They also don’t have to worry about reaching a lifetime cap on coverage – which he would have in his first year of life • Jax’s family will be able to keep their house, pay their bills, and afford to care for all three of their children. • Jax can live a healthy life and pursue his dreams.

24. The ACA and the US • 3.1M more young adults are now covered under their parents’ plan • 5.2M Medicare beneficiaries received $3.9M in drug rebates to close the ‘donut hole’ • 54M more Americans received free preventative services • 12.8M Americans have qualified for a $1.1B rebate from insurance companies

25. THE ACA IS AT RISK • Politicians are endangering your health for political gain, calling for repeal • If the ACA is compromised…

26. 32 million Americans will lose their insurance

27. THE ACA IS AT RISK Jax could lose his insurance based on his pre-existing condition and lifetime spending limit.

28. THE ACA IS AT RISK A 23 year old graduate looking for a job will no longer be insured through her parents • A 60 year old grandmother with breast cancer will reach her lifetime insurance limit and be denied life saving treatment Families will continue to struggle with medical bills

29. WHAT CAN YOU DO? • Contact your elected officials, asking them to protect the ACA • Tell a friend what you learned today • Invite one of our members to give a presentation • Learn about healthy choices for everyday life • Continue to be informed about your health care • Take advantage of preventive care offered through the ACA

30. THANK YOU! www.drsforamerica.org