The vote scheduled for Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would have "devastating" consequences for Medicare beneficiaries, if it were to pass, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday.
During a routine press briefing to tout the latest statistics on how seniors have benefited from the law, Sebelius took an unusual detour to criticize the effort to undo the legislation.
So far, health plan premiums have been reduced and seniors whose healthcare spending falls into the donut hole are now getting 50% discounts on drugs, she said. And 16.1 million people have received at least one preventive service at no cost during the first six months of the year.
"And yet despite this progress, the House of Representatives is preparing to hold another vote—their 31st vote—on repealing the Affordable Care Act. For millions of seniors and people with disabilities who have seen the impact of these benefits in their own lives, the consequences of repeal would be devastating. To assure our country's seniors continue to get this security and protection they deserve, we need to keep moving forward," she said.
"The last thing Congress should do is repeal critical preventive services that millions of Americans are using today to get well and stay healthy."
Among other benefits the ACA has provided so far, Sebelius listed these:
- Approximately 1.35 million seniors have received an annual wellness visit without charge, unlike prior to the act when they often had to pay "significant co-pays and deductibles for preventive services. For example, a colon cancer screening could cost some seniors hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets" and force some to choose between getting preventive care or paying rent, buying groceries or prescription drugs, she said.
- In 2011, 32.5 million people covered by Medicare received one or more preventive benefits without being charged.
- While prior to the passage of the law, one in four Medicare beneficiaries went without a prescription each year because of cost, today, 3 million seniors and people with disabilities in the donut hole have saved "an average of $600 apiece on their prescription drugs," she said.
- New law enforcement tools have enabled prosecutors to recover "a record $4 billion" an effort she said will "add years to the Medicare trust fund and put the program on sounder footing."
- The law has made it easier for doctors to deliver high quality care resembling that provided in "the country's leading health systems," by creating accountable care and other continuum of care program models.
- Premiums in Medicare Advantage plans have fallen an average of 7% between 2011 and 2012, even though enrollment rose 10%. "When you add up all the savings in the law, the average Medicare beneficiary will save about $4,200 over the next nine years," with some seniors with higher drug costs saving closer to $16,000, she said.