Seniors and Obamacare
I am proud of the improvements that the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – makes for seniors. Under the law, seniors will get new benefits: free preventive services like cancer and diabetes screenings, a new annual wellness exam, and medical therapy to prevent dangerous drug interactions. Obamacare lowers drug costs and eliminates excess payments to private Medicare Advantage plans that drive up Part B costs to everyone. It improves quality and provides more access to doctors and other health care providers.
I am pleased that many of my proposals to protect seniors were included in Obamacare, including new Elder Justice grants to prevent elder abuse, criminal background checks for long-term care workers, and mandatory training to stop patient abuse and improve care of patients living with dementia.
More on Seniors and Obamacare
I participated in the Health Subcommittee hearing on the impacts of the #AffordableCareAct on our nation's health. We discussed how we can build on it and improve even more, 11 years since its implementation.
Today we passed H.R. 1868 to protect Medicare and Medicaid from across-the-board budget cuts, making sure Medicare and Medicaid recipients aren't affected from by any reduction in services or funding.
Today, the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments in Texas v. California, a Republican-backed lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act and its critical protections. For 10 years, the Republicans have tried, and failed, to take down this law and the lifesaving care it affords millions of Americans.
WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Senior Chief Deputy Whip, Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, and Co-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families, released this statement after President Trump said he would mail seniors a one-time $200 prescription drug discount card, raiding the Medicare Trust Fund after failing to take any action to actually lower prescription drug prices:
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Energy and Commerce Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, took bold action to lower health costs, prescription drug prices, and the U.S. uninsured rate by voting to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act.