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Schakowsky Statement on the Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

March 23, 2016

Today, Congresswoman Schakowsky released the following statement on the six year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.

“Six years ago today, the Affordable Care Act was enacted into law – and health care for millions of Americans of all ages improved. Before the ACA, 129 million Americans – including 17 million children – that had pre-existing conditions were denied insurance coverage, charged more, or refused the services they needed. Today, those abuses are prohibited. Over 20 million Americans who were uninsured are now covered. Women are no longer charged more because they are women and are guaranteed access to maternity benefits. Seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare are paying $20 billion less for their prescription drugs and given preventive services at no out-of-pocket cost.

“The ACA has changed lives and allowed millions to live in security with the knowledge that they have access to health care.

“We must continue to improve the law to lower costs and ensure that every person in our country is covered. But we must reject Republican calls to go back to the days when insurance companies held all the cards and determined who would get covered, for what services and what patients would be charged.”

Issues:Health