Celebrating One Year of the Affordable Care Act

March 23, 2011

It’s been a year since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, putting an end to some of the worst insurance company abuses while granting access to affordable health care to millions of men, women and children.

Making this law a reality wasn’t easy and AFSCME members know it better than anyone — their commitment to this fight was instrumental in winning this victory for working families.

But the battle for quality, affordable health care for everyone is not over. The hard right has made it a top priority to defund reform before it has even been fully implemented. They effectively want to take us back to the times in which insurance companies could deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions and impose arbitrary lifetime limits on said coverage. In other words, they want the insurance industry back in charge.

Thanks to the law, millions are already benefiting from a health care system that is more fair and inclusive. Seniors can count on lower cost prescription drugs. Adults who previously couldn’t get insurance because of a pre-existing condition can now buy coverage through a Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. Young adults up to age 26 can now get coverage through their parents’ health plan. Those in new insurance plans have access to preventive services without having to pay deductibles or co-payments.

A year has passed and the enemies of reform still don’t have a plan to address the needs of millions of men, women and children who depend on quality, affordable health care. We, on the other hand, have a road map for how to make our health care system more just and know what’s at stake in this fight. We must more forward and protect our health care.