On 5th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Cleaver Highlights Benefits for Hundreds of Thousands in Missouri

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II announced that today, one day after the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that hundreds of thousands of people in Missouri are benefiting from this landmark health care law.

"Over the last five years since the ACA was signed into law, millions of Americans have benefitted from it. Costs are down, and coverage has improved," Congressman Cleaver stated. "People with pre-existing conditions are now protected. Seniors are saving money on their medications. More and more people are able to access and afford insurance. The ACA is helping millions of Americans focus on their jobs and quality of life, instead of worrying about what will happen if they and their family members get hurt or sick."

Five years after President Obama signed the ACA into law, it is clear that it is succeeding:

• Improving Coverage: Nationwide, since the enactment of the ACA, 16.4 million previously uninsured Americans have secured affordable, quality health coverage.
• Improving Affordability: Since the ACA was enacted, health care prices have risen at the slowest rate in nearly half-a-century. Thanks to exceptionally slow growth in per-person costs throughout our health care system, national health expenditures grew at the slowest rate on record from 2010 through 2013.
• Improving Quality: The ACA has helped improve the quality of health care, contributing to 50,000 fewer patient deaths in hospitals due to avoidable harms, like an infection or medication error.

"Republicans continue to call for the complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act," Rep. Cleaver added. "It is important that we don't use the debate over health care to deepen our divisions. For all Americans, the states and the federal government must continue to work together to make sure healthcare is functional, full, and fair. I will keep fighting to fully implement the law and ensure that my constituents have the health security and economic security they deserve."

Today, HHS released a new report that highlights the ways in which the people in the state of Missouri are benefiting from the ACA.  While the Missouri legislature has not moved forward with the much-needed Medicaid expansion, the rest of the law has helped many Missourians. Here are some of the key findings:

• Drop in uninsured rate in Missouri under the ACA.  The uninsured rate in Missouri has fallen from 15.2 percent in 2013 to 13.4 percent in 2014.
• Marketplace coverage of individuals in Missouri.  For 2015, 253,430 consumers have enrolled in quality, affordable health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. 88 percent of those enrolled qualified for a tax credit that will help them afford their coverage.
• Medicaid/CHIP coverage for additional individuals in Missouri.  As of January 2015, 17,567 individuals in Missouri have gained Medicaid or CHIP coverage since the beginning of ACA enrollment in October 2013. 
• Savings in premiums for individuals in Missouri.   The ACA contains provisions that prevent insurers from spending more than 20% of their premiums on profits and administrative overhead.  Because of these protections, 352,661 individuals in Missouri with private insurance coverage have benefited from $14,609,316 in refunds from insurance companies.
• Elimination of lifetime limits on coverage for individuals in Missouri.  Since September 2010, the ACA has prohibited insurers from placing a lifetime limit on coverage. As a result, 2,148,000 people, including 792,000 women and 581,000 children, are now free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage.
• Protection for individuals with pre-existing conditions in Missouri.  Since January 2014, the ACA has prohibited insurers from denying coverage to individuals for having a pre-existing health condition. Because of this provision, up to 1,211,407 individuals with pre-existing conditions are now protected.
• Expanded access to free preventive services for individuals in private plans in Missouri.  Since September 2010, the ACA has provided expanded access to free preventive services for those enrolled in most private plans. As a result, 1.5 million individuals in private plans in Missouri now have health insurance that covers preventive services without any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductible.
• Lower drug costs for seniors in Missouri.  The health care law is providing major savings in drug costs for seniors, closing the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole' over 10 years.  Because of this provision, seniors have saved a total of $297,137,358 on their prescription drugs since 2010.
• Free preventive services for seniors in Missouri.  Since 2011, Medicare now provides free coverage of key preventive services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies.  In 2014 alone, because of this provision, 815,675 seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare used one or more free preventive services.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.