UPDATE: The Affordable Care Act is upheld – the individual mandate stands. Remember: this isn’t win for Obama but for the millions of Americans who will be covered!
Today is the day! Shortly, the Supreme Court of the United States will rule on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and whether or not the individual mandate is constitutional.
For context, our founding fathers – including George Washington and 20 other framers – believed that individual mandates were entirely proper and enacted laws requiring Americans to purchase guns and in 1798 mandated that sailors buy health insurance.
Two hundred years ago! And yet, here we are.
No matter, we’re pulling together our favorite Tweets, the most informative posts, and a breakdown of how the SCOTUS decision will affect you and yours at the bottom of the blog – so check back often!
In the meantime, here are some facts about the Affordable Care Act and how it benefits Michiganders:
It covers Americans with pre-existing conditions
- There are 141,700 Michiganders with pre-existing conditions like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. 130 million Americans have pre-existing conditions.
It ends lifetime limits for Americans with serious, chronic conditions
- Over 3.5 million Michiganders with life-threatening illnesses no longer have to live in fear of running into lifetime caps on their coverage.
It brings down costs for women
- 45 million women now have access to preventive health care services like mammograms without having to pay extra out of pocket. Insurance companies can no longer charge women more than men for the same benefits or deny coverage because of a “pre-existing condition” like pregnancy.
It strengthens Medicare for seniors
- For generations, Americans have counted on Medicare to be able to retire in dignity – and now more than 84,000 Michiganders with Medicare have saved nearly $49 million on prescription drugs.
It insures young adults to protect our future
- College students are more likely to be uninsured than any other age group, potentially leaving young Michiganders just one major accident away from bankruptcy. In Michigan alone, over 57,000 more young adults now have coverage because insurance companies can no longer kick them off their parents’ plans.