WASHINGTON - With congressional Republicans still trying to repeal the Patient Care and Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration is pushing back with a report Wednesday on the "many benefits" for residents in Louisiana and other states. "Thanks to the health care law, the 80 percent of Louisianans who have insurance have more choices and stronger coverage than ever...
WASHINGTON - With congressional Republicans still trying to repeal the Patient Care and Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration is pushing back with a report Wednesday on the "many benefits" for residents in Louisiana and other states.
"Thanks to the health care law, the 80 percent of Louisianans who have insurance have more choices and stronger coverage than ever before," the report said. "And for the 20 percent of Louisianans who don't have insurance, or Louisiana families and small businesses who buy their coverage but aren't happy with it, a new day is just around the corner."
Republicans, including Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Reps Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson and Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, said the law is cumbersome and too costly and will cause some businesses to shed jobs. The GOP-led House has voted 38 times to repeal all or part of the law, or delay its implementation.
The White House report said one of the biggest beneficiaries of the law is the 1.95 million non-elderly Louisiana residents with pre-existing health conditions.
Already, the law bars insurers from denying coverage to the 265,855 Louisiana children with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, the report said.
Beginning in January, health insurers will no longer be able to charge higher premiums or deny coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition, the report said.
In 2011 and 2012, 71 million Americans with private health insurance received preventatives care with no co-pays. That included 932,000 people in Louisiana, the report said.
That's a result of a provision in the law that requires most insurance plans to provide preventative health services, such as colonoscopy screening for colon cancer, pap smears and mammograms for women, well-child visits, and flu shots for children and adults without co-pays.
The report said the health care law has provided $59.5 million for Louisiana health care centers -- both for operations, expansion and to open up new facilities.
According to the report, Louisiana has 794,805 people, or 20 percent of its population, without health-care coverage. Seventy two percent of the uninsured have at least one full-time worker in the family, the report said.
Many of the uninsured will be eligible to purchase coverage in the health care exchange, where people could choose among competing private insurance firms and find out if they qualify (based on income) for tax credits to help offset the insurance costs.
Louisiana had the option of setting up its own exchange, but the Jindal administration opted out. So, a system is being established by the federal government. Families and small businesses can now access the site, healthcare.gov to prepare for open enrollment, which begins on Oct 1 for the 2014 colander year.
"Soon, the Health Insurance Marketplace will provide families and small businesses who currently don't have insurance, or are looking for a better deal, a new way to find health coverage that fits their needs and their budgets," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
About 400,000 residents would be eligible to get coverage through an expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but Louisiana officials, led by Gov. Jindal, declined to participate.
Jindal responded to the White House report with this emailed comment:
"ObamaCare is a train wreck. Health care premiums are going up, businesses have stopped hiring in some cases and older Americans looking for work have found that companies may not want to take a chance on their age and the healthcare risks that could come with it. ObamaCare is unworkable, and that's why we are fighting it in Louisiana."
Jindal said he rejected participation in the Medicaid expansion because "it will cost our taxpayers up to $1.7 billion and put up to 41 percent of our population into a welfare program. Instead, we have pursued public-private partnerships as cost efficient alternatives to expand access and improve care."
The Medicaid expansion is funded 100 percent by the federal government for the first three years of the program, and then no less than 95 percent in subsequent years.
Sen. Vitter recently signed a letter with 11 other Senate Republicans threatening to block a spending bill needed to keep the government operating after Oct. 1 unless it includes a repeal of all funding for the Patient Care and Affordable Care Act, which the GOP calls ObamaCare. The 12 Republicans said it's unfair that a mandate requiring individuals to purchase health coverage, or pay a penalty, takes effect January 1, when the mandate that businesses provide coverage was put off until 2015.