Eighty million Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases and too many of them cannot afford the health care they need. Lack of health insurance and barriers to accessing quality care pose tremendous problems for patients who have difficulty affording essential treatments. Insurance policies with high premiums and practices that penalize those with pre-existing conditions create a challenging and expensive reality for heart disease and stroke survivors. That is why the American Heart Association is working to achieve a meaningful reform that serves the best interests of patients. What to learn more? Check out the FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Health Care Reform
Q: Why does the American Heart Association support health care reform?
A: We believe that the bills before Congress, while not perfect, will make care more available andaffordable for the millions of individuals with heart disease and stroke who are uninsured or haveinadequate coverage. The bills preserve what works in our current health care system; include animportant and long overdue emphasis on preventing illness; and will help to improve the quality of carethat everyone receives. The bills also make sure that individuals are protected from insurers that evadetheir obligations to pay for needed care.
Q: Will health care reform lead to a “government takeover” of health care or result in “socializedmedicine,” as some claim?
A: No. The bills before Congress preserve our nation’s current employer-based private health insurancesystem, with public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid continuing to be available as a safety netfor older and low-income Americans. The “government takeover” concern is largely based on the publichealth insurance option that may be available as a choice under some of the bills. It’s very important tonote, however, that each person, not the government, would decide whether a private plan or a publicplan is the right plan for him or her – if the public plan choice is available at all.
Q: Will health reform lead to rationing of care, as some have said?
A: No. This concern is based on provisions in the bill that authorize “comparative effectiveness research.”This is research that evaluates which drugs or other treatments work best for different medicalconditions and different patients. The American Heart Association supports this research because it willprovide doctors and their patients with more and better information to help them decide the best courseof treatment. Ultimately, however, doctors and patients − not insurance companies or the government −will decide what treatment is best.
Q: Will I be able to keep my current health insurance coverage if I want to?
A: Yes. If you currently have health insurance coverage and you like that coverage, you’ll be able to keepit. We recognize, as does President Obama and Congress, that most Americans who are currentlyinsured receive their coverage through their employer and two-thirds of them are satisfied with thatcoverage.
Q: Why does the American Heart Association support a requirement for individuals to obtain healthinsurance coverage?
A: The American Heart Association supports the principle of individual responsibility, provided that thecoverage is made affordable. Under health care reform, insurance plans will no longer be able to denycoverage to those with preexisting conditions or charge them higher premiums because of their medicalneeds, which will help tremendously in making coverage available and affordable for heart disease andstroke patients. In return, however, individuals can’t be allowed to wait until they have an accident ordevelop a chronic condition to sign-up for insurance because then coverage would be unaffordable foreveryone.
Q: Will the health care reform bills mean that I will pay more if I have good coverage now?
A: The goal of health care reform is to make health care more affordable for individuals and families as wellas for our nation. Americans pay more for our health care than any other country, in part because weare covering the uninsured in a very inefficient way after they get sick and seek care at an emergencyroom. Some estimate that individuals with insurance pay up to $1,100 more per year through higherpremiums and taxes because of uncompensated care received in public hospitals and emergencyrooms.
Q: Why should I care about health care reform if I already have insurance coverage and like what Ihave?
A: Most importantly, health insurance reform will provide American families with peace of mind that they willalways have access to quality, affordable coverage, even if they lose their job, switch jobs, or move.Reform will also ensure that insurance companies can no longer cancel your insurance if you get sick orput annual or lifetime limits on the coverage for which you’ve been paying. And reform will help to get ahandle on rising health care costs so that insurance is affordable in the future.
Q: What does health reform mean for Medicare beneficiaries?
A: The reform bills will improve coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and improve the quality of care theyreceive. For example, the House bill would close the coverage gap (or “donut hole”) in prescription drugcoverage that many Medicare beneficiaries currently face. It would also eliminate cost-sharing forpreventive services in Medicare and improve the extra assistance provided to low-income Medicarebeneficiaries. None of the bills would cut Medicare benefits or increase seniors’ out-of-pocket Medicarecosts.
Q. I’ve heard claims that health care reform will deny older Americans end-of-life care. What is thisabout?
A. Nothing could be further from the truth. The House health reform bill includes a provision that wouldprovide reimbursement to physicians who provide counseling to Medicare patients about the care theychoose to receive if they have a living will or an advance directive. These consultations are notmandatory, occur only upon the request of the patient, and in fact are designed to make certain that thepatient’s wishes come before those of insurance companies or hospitals.
Q: I’ve heard that health reform will cost at least $1 trillion – is this true?
A: The $1 trillion cost that has been reported in the media is the cost over a 10-year period (an average of$100 billion a year). It is also important to note, however, that Congressional budget rules require thatthe health reform bills be fully paid for so that they won’t add to our national debt. The cost estimatealso doesn’t take into account the private savings that would result from health reform through suchprovisions as improved care coordination and a greater emphasis on preventing disease. Finally, weneed to consider the cost of delay and inaction. Without reform, costs are projected to continue toescalate, 16 million more Americans are projected to lose their coverage over the next decade, andmillions more will have their out-of-pocket health costs rise substantially.
Q: Why is there such a rush to enact health reform? Shouldn’t Congress take its time and getreform right?
A: Of course, we all want health reform to be done correctly, in a manner that builds on what works aboutour current system and fixes what doesn’t. But time is also of the essence in order for reform to actuallybe accomplished. Many in Congress have been working for years on health reform, and the AmericanHeart Association has been working behind the scenes to shape the development of the current healthinsurance reform legislation since last year. The Congressional schedule also dictates that healthreform be done by the end of this year or early next year at the latest, or history has shown that anotheropportunity for significant reform won’t happen for another 15 to 20 years, if at all.
Q. Will health care reform provide coverage to illegal immigrants?
A. The health reform proposals currently being considered by Congress do not extend coverage to illegalimmigrants. The American Heart Association remains committed to improving the cardiovascular healthof all U.S. residents, including undocumented individuals. We recognize that as a society we arealready paying a high cost for ignoring the health care needs of these individuals (through higheremergency department utilization, preventable and avoidable hospitalizations and the associated costsof untreated cardiovascular disease).
You can learn more about the AHA’s principles and healthcare reform efforts at http://www.heartsforhealthcare.org/ and www.americanheart.org/accesstocare.
Frequently Asked Questions About Health Care Reform
Q: Why does the American Heart Association support health care reform?
A: We believe that the bills before Congress, while not perfect, will make care more available andaffordable for the millions of individuals with heart disease and stroke who are uninsured or haveinadequate coverage. The bills preserve what works in our current health care system; include animportant and long overdue emphasis on preventing illness; and will help to improve the quality of carethat everyone receives. The bills also make sure that individuals are protected from insurers that evadetheir obligations to pay for needed care.
Q: Will health care reform lead to a “government takeover” of health care or result in “socializedmedicine,” as some claim?
A: No. The bills before Congress preserve our nation’s current employer-based private health insurancesystem, with public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid continuing to be available as a safety netfor older and low-income Americans. The “government takeover” concern is largely based on the publichealth insurance option that may be available as a choice under some of the bills. It’s very important tonote, however, that each person, not the government, would decide whether a private plan or a publicplan is the right plan for him or her – if the public plan choice is available at all.
Q: Will health reform lead to rationing of care, as some have said?
A: No. This concern is based on provisions in the bill that authorize “comparative effectiveness research.”This is research that evaluates which drugs or other treatments work best for different medicalconditions and different patients. The American Heart Association supports this research because it willprovide doctors and their patients with more and better information to help them decide the best courseof treatment. Ultimately, however, doctors and patients − not insurance companies or the government −will decide what treatment is best.
Q: Will I be able to keep my current health insurance coverage if I want to?
A: Yes. If you currently have health insurance coverage and you like that coverage, you’ll be able to keepit. We recognize, as does President Obama and Congress, that most Americans who are currentlyinsured receive their coverage through their employer and two-thirds of them are satisfied with thatcoverage.
Q: Why does the American Heart Association support a requirement for individuals to obtain healthinsurance coverage?
A: The American Heart Association supports the principle of individual responsibility, provided that thecoverage is made affordable. Under health care reform, insurance plans will no longer be able to denycoverage to those with preexisting conditions or charge them higher premiums because of their medicalneeds, which will help tremendously in making coverage available and affordable for heart disease andstroke patients. In return, however, individuals can’t be allowed to wait until they have an accident ordevelop a chronic condition to sign-up for insurance because then coverage would be unaffordable foreveryone.
Q: Will the health care reform bills mean that I will pay more if I have good coverage now?
A: The goal of health care reform is to make health care more affordable for individuals and families as wellas for our nation. Americans pay more for our health care than any other country, in part because weare covering the uninsured in a very inefficient way after they get sick and seek care at an emergencyroom. Some estimate that individuals with insurance pay up to $1,100 more per year through higherpremiums and taxes because of uncompensated care received in public hospitals and emergencyrooms.
Q: Why should I care about health care reform if I already have insurance coverage and like what Ihave?
A: Most importantly, health insurance reform will provide American families with peace of mind that they willalways have access to quality, affordable coverage, even if they lose their job, switch jobs, or move.Reform will also ensure that insurance companies can no longer cancel your insurance if you get sick orput annual or lifetime limits on the coverage for which you’ve been paying. And reform will help to get ahandle on rising health care costs so that insurance is affordable in the future.
Q: What does health reform mean for Medicare beneficiaries?
A: The reform bills will improve coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and improve the quality of care theyreceive. For example, the House bill would close the coverage gap (or “donut hole”) in prescription drugcoverage that many Medicare beneficiaries currently face. It would also eliminate cost-sharing forpreventive services in Medicare and improve the extra assistance provided to low-income Medicarebeneficiaries. None of the bills would cut Medicare benefits or increase seniors’ out-of-pocket Medicarecosts.
Q. I’ve heard claims that health care reform will deny older Americans end-of-life care. What is thisabout?
A. Nothing could be further from the truth. The House health reform bill includes a provision that wouldprovide reimbursement to physicians who provide counseling to Medicare patients about the care theychoose to receive if they have a living will or an advance directive. These consultations are notmandatory, occur only upon the request of the patient, and in fact are designed to make certain that thepatient’s wishes come before those of insurance companies or hospitals.
Q: I’ve heard that health reform will cost at least $1 trillion – is this true?
A: The $1 trillion cost that has been reported in the media is the cost over a 10-year period (an average of$100 billion a year). It is also important to note, however, that Congressional budget rules require thatthe health reform bills be fully paid for so that they won’t add to our national debt. The cost estimatealso doesn’t take into account the private savings that would result from health reform through suchprovisions as improved care coordination and a greater emphasis on preventing disease. Finally, weneed to consider the cost of delay and inaction. Without reform, costs are projected to continue toescalate, 16 million more Americans are projected to lose their coverage over the next decade, andmillions more will have their out-of-pocket health costs rise substantially.
Q: Why is there such a rush to enact health reform? Shouldn’t Congress take its time and getreform right?
A: Of course, we all want health reform to be done correctly, in a manner that builds on what works aboutour current system and fixes what doesn’t. But time is also of the essence in order for reform to actuallybe accomplished. Many in Congress have been working for years on health reform, and the AmericanHeart Association has been working behind the scenes to shape the development of the current healthinsurance reform legislation since last year. The Congressional schedule also dictates that healthreform be done by the end of this year or early next year at the latest, or history has shown that anotheropportunity for significant reform won’t happen for another 15 to 20 years, if at all.
Q. Will health care reform provide coverage to illegal immigrants?
A. The health reform proposals currently being considered by Congress do not extend coverage to illegalimmigrants. The American Heart Association remains committed to improving the cardiovascular healthof all U.S. residents, including undocumented individuals. We recognize that as a society we arealready paying a high cost for ignoring the health care needs of these individuals (through higheremergency department utilization, preventable and avoidable hospitalizations and the associated costsof untreated cardiovascular disease).
You can learn more about the AHA’s principles and healthcare reform efforts at http://www.heartsforhealthcare.org/ and www.americanheart.org/accesstocare.
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