For Immediate Release: March 23, 2012

SEATTLE, WA – Today marks the 2^nd anniversary of the 2010 health care reform bill – the Affordable Care Act – being signed into law. Congressman Jim McDermott (WA-7) strongly supported passage of this landmark law, and while it won’t be fully implemented until 2014, thousands of people in the 7^th Congressional District of Washington and throughout the state have already benefited from the law.

“Among the people I represent in the 7^th District alone, more than 6,000 young adults have gained health insurance coverage and over 60,000 seniors have already received free preventive services because of the law,” said Congressman McDermott. “And these are just a few of the good things that have come from the Affordable Care Act so far.”

Susan Johnson, Regional Director with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Seattle office, said, “The health care law is already making a difference, and we are all benefiting from it personally or know someone who is benefitting from it.  Whether you are a small business owner taking advantage of the health care tax credits, a parent whose child can no longer be denied coverage because she has a pre-existing condition like asthma, or a Medicare beneficiary who has accessed free preventive screenings, we all stand to gain from this law.”

According to data compiled by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the health care law has had the following effects:

• 6,900 young adults in the 7^th District now have health insurance; and over 52,000 young adults in Washington State gained insurance coverage as a result of the new health care law. 
• 5,400 seniors in the 7^th District received prescription drug discounts worth $3.5 million in 2011, an average discount of $650 per senior; in Washington State, over 60,000 seniors received discounts worth $36 million, an average of $598 per person.
• 60,000 seniors in the 7^th District received Medicare preventive services without paying any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles; and over 653,000 in Washington State.
• 23,000 children and 150,000 adults in the 7^th District now have health insurance that covers preventive services without cost-sharing; and 1,239,000 residents in Washington State.
• 6,000 to 26,000 children in the 7^th District with pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma, can no longer be denied coverage by health insurers.

In addition, the consumer protection provisions of the Affordable Care Act have ended some of the worst abuses of health insurers by eliminating the threat of health coverage rescissions for more than 530,000 residents in the 7^th District.  The Act also bans insurance companies from establishing lifetime coverage limits for 310,000 residents in the 7^th District, and 2,427,000 in Washington State.

McDermott added, “As more and more people personally experience the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, I think Americans will see its reforms as historic and essential.”

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