Five Ways Healthcare Reform Will Affect You

1. Generic Drugs: According to the White House, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) passed in March puts an end to the anti-competitive practices used by drug companies to keep effective, more affordable generic drugs off the market. It discounts drugs for hospitals and communities who serve low-income patients. Most importantly, it sets the stage for the creation of new generic biological drugs and gives doctors access to effective, lower-cost alternatives for their patients.

2. Quality of Care: The Act also gives incentives to doctors, nurses and hospitals for improving care and reducing errors that could harm patients. And rural America will benefit as the Act enhances access to health care services in underserved areas. The Act also rewards the highest quality of care for America’s seniors. It provides incentives for doctors and hospitals to improve quality and allow better coordination to help reduce harmful medical errors and hospital-acquired infections.

3. Innovation: It also provides innovative payment reforms so practitioners are rewarded for their quality of care; not just additional tests or treatments. The Act also rewards innovative practices where doctors and nurse practitioners provide better-coordinated primary care that involves every doctor or specialist on the patient’s care team. Doctors, nurses and hospitals will be able to learn from these innovative practices to improve their quality of care for seniors.

4. Medicare Savings: The Act will close the coverage gap known as the “donut hole” and save thousands in drug costs for Medicare recipients. The Act puts an end to massive overpayments to insurance companies that cost American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars every year. As 30+ million uninsured Americans finally receive coverage, the Act saves taxpayer dollars by keeping people healthier before they receive Medicare and dramatically reduces Medicare’s payments to hospitals for care of the uninsured.

5. Preventive Care: In an attempt to transition from a system focused on treating sick people to one that helps people stay healthy throughout their lives, the Act promotes prevention, wellness and public health with an unprecedented funding commitment. It creates a national prevention and health promotion strategy incorporating the most effective, achievable ways to improve individual health and reduce the incidence of preventable illness and disability.