The Gavel Blog: House Republicans Are Voting for 56th Time to Repeal or Undermine the Affordable Care Act

This week, House Republicans are bringing up yet another Republican bill to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act.  This is the 56th GOP vote to repeal or undermine the ACA.

Thanks to the ACA, uninsured rates are at a record low and more hardworking families are able to afford health care, but Republicans continue their obsession with stripping patient protections and affordable coverage from millions of American families.

Republicans are trying to repeal the law, even though the Affordable Care Act is working: here are some numbers to know.

Benefits of the Affordable Care Act:

Expanded Coverage:

• 19 million uninsured Americans will be covered in 2015 due to the ACA, according to CBO.  [CBO]
• For 2015, more than 9.5 million consumers are signed up for Health Insurance Marketplace plans, so far.  [HHS]
• 10.1 million additional individuals have enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP since the beginning of Open Enrollment in October 2013.  [CMS]
• 3 million young adults have gained health coverage because they can now stay on their parents' health plan up to age 26.  [HHS]

New Consumer Protections:

• 129 million Americans with pre-existing health conditions no longer have to worry about being denied coverage or charged higher premiums due to their health status.  [HHS]
• 105 million Americans no longer have a lifetime limit or an annual limit on their coverage.  [HHS]

Savings and Benefits for Seniors:

• 8.2 million seniors have saved more than $11.5 billion on their prescription drugs since 2010 – an average of $1,407 per senior.  [HHS]
• 37 million seniors in Medicare have received free preventive services with no co-pay under the ACA, due to the new free preventive services benefit.  [HHS]
• Medicare Part B premiums are lower than they were before the ACA was enacted, and have held steady for the last three years.  [HHS]
• Since the enactment of the ACA, the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund has been extended by 13 years.  [HHS]

Savings for Other Consumers:

• Americans have saved $9 billion since 2011, because of the new requirement that insurers have to spend at least 80 percent of every premium dollar they receive on quality health care.  [HHS]
• 87 percent of consumers buying health plans in the Marketplace are receiving tax credits to make their plans affordable.  Nearly 7 in 10 consumers in the Marketplace can get covered for $100 or less a month after tax credits. [HHS]
• 76 million Americans in private plans have received new or expanded access to free preventive services, with no co-pay.  [HHS]

Savings for Taxpayers:

• Over the last few years, health care spending has been growing at the slowest rate in over 50 years – benefiting taxpayers and consumers.  [CEA]
• Taxpayers have saved $116 billion through improvements to Medicare health delivery under the ACA.  [White House]
• $19.2 billion has been recovered for taxpayers from stepped-up anti-fraud efforts in Medicare and other health programs under the ACA.  [HHS]

Improved Quality:

• 50,000 lives and $12 billion have been saved, due to a 17 percent reduction in hospital-acquired conditions, such as infections, from 2010 to 2013, under the ACA.  [HHS]
• Under the ACA, unnecessary hospital readmissions in Medicare have fallen for the first time on record, resulting in 150,000 fewer readmissions.  [HHS]
• In 2014, in a survey, 78 percent of newly insured consumers in the Marketplace, including 74 percent of Republicans, expressed satisfaction with their coverage. [Commonwealth Fund]