In a 5-4 decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the individual mandate in President Barack Obama’s health care law is constitutional. The court’s judgment allows the law to go forward with its aim of covering more than 30 million uninsured Americans, as well.
The decision affects nearly every American and marks a major milestone in the way healthcare is delivered to every single American. The law is a signature piece of Obama’s first term and today marks a victory for the President, but the Affordable Care Act will continue to be a hot topic in this falls election, as his Republican rival Mitt Romney and Republican lawmakers have promised to repeal what they call Obamacare if they can capture the White House and Congress this November.
What today’s ruling means is that the 2010 health care law will continue phasing in as planned:
• 9 in 10 Americans eligible American will be covered with some kind of health insurance once the 30 million currently uninsured are mandated to obtain coverage.
• Young adults will stay on their parents’ insurance up to age 26.
• Insurers can’t deny coverage to children with health problems.
• Limits on how much policies will pay out to each person over a lifetime are eliminated.
• Improved Medicare prescription benefits for those over 65.
• Co-payments for preventive care for all ages have been eliminated.
Starting in 2014:
• Almost everyone will be required to be insured or pay a fine. There are subsidies to help people who can’t afford coverage.
• Most employers will face fines if they don’t offer coverage for their workers.
• Newly created insurance markets will make it easier for individuals and small businesses to buy affordable coverage.
• Medicaid will be expanded to cover more low-income people.
• Insurers will be prohibited from denying coverage to people with medical problems or charging those people more. They won’t be able to charge women more, either.
• During the transition to 2014, a special program for people with pre-existing health problems helps these people get coverage.
In terms of prescription drug coverage today’s ruling maintains the changes to Medicare coverage that will see the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, or “doughnut hole” close and reduce the out-of-pocket costs that many seniors faced before their coverage kicked in under the old Medicare rules. At Canada Drugs we encourage our customers to stay informed on how changes to the American health care system will affect their bottom line. We always want our customers to maximize their savings, and in some cases ordering direct from Canada Drugs will save you more money on your prescriptions, but in other cases your combination of Medicare or other insurance payments and co-pays may work out to greater savings potential. Our trained team of Patient Service Representatives can work with you on a personalized quote that takes into account Medicare coverage and see what the smartest option is on your overall drug purchases. We never want anyone to pay more their medication than they have to. That’s our commitment to you.
Tags: care, health care law, health care reform, health care tax, obama, obamacare
