WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), one of the authors of the Affordable Care Act(ACA), last week applauded the news from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) that thousands of Iowa Medicare beneficiaries, including seniors and people with disabilities, have collectively saved more than $105 million on prescription drugs since the enactment of the health reform law. More than 414,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Iowa also received at least one free preventive service in 2013 alone.
Harkin, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, played a pivotal role in the passage of the ACA. He authored the prevention and wellness measures that are part of the law—including the provision that requires health insurance companies to cover recommended preventive screenings with no copays or deductibles.
“It’s simple: as a result of the Affordable Care Act, Iowa’s Medicare beneficiaries have saved millions on vital prescription drugs. Gradually closing the ‘donut hole’ will mean that Iowans with Medicare prescription drug coverage are seeing, and will continue to see, increased savings and coverage for critically important medications,” Harkin said. “The health reform law also brings savings to Iowans with Medicare in the form of covered preventive services with no copay and no deductible. Just last year, more than 414,000 Iowans took advantage of at least one free preventive service—not only helping to save lives, but reducing our overall health care costs.”
According to HHS, in 2013, an estimated 414,107 Iowans with Medicare took advantage of at least one preventive service with no cost-sharing, with 40,450 utilizing the free Annual Wellness Visit. Preventive services covered under the law include a wide range of services, including cancer screenings, mammograms, tobacco use counseling, and diabetes screenings.
To gain coverage for 2014, Iowans must sign up for coverage by March 31st, and can do so by visiting Healthcare.gov or by calling 1-800-318-2596. Already, more than five million Americans—including more than 15,000 Iowans—have signed up for health care plans through the Marketplaces.
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26 thoughts on “Harkin: Health reform has brought savings, free services to thousands of Iowans”
Harkin …. Iowa’s Harry Reid.. What an idiot!!
Watching the senile dinosaur Harry Reid trying to justify this latest extension was just sad. Saying the reason Obama scare is not working is because the elderly are to stupid to figure out the website has to be one of the lamest excuses yet. There is no amount of lies or any new low that the Dems will not stoop to to buy votes from the entitlement nation.
Another day another delay and free for you is not free for me. Now all you have to do is check a box that maybe you are thinking about health care and the spending machine will count you as a yes for a policy. The group with their hands out will always support and consider this blow to the working as a success.
Obamacare is fools gold. Any responsible American not forced fed Marxist philosophy understands that. It’s destroying the best health care in the world right before our eyes.
@Mr. Liberty-You are exactly correct. They destroyed a health care system that was working just fine for 90% of the people to support 10% who didn’t want it at any cost. Only communist do that.
Nice to know that the Mediator (who has already acknowledged he is Mr Doug Nelson) is so complimentary about Obamacare. Something to remember this fall for sure.
1. What acknowledgement? I must have missed it.
2. What does Obamacare have to do with electing a county supervisor?
3. How is hearing good things about what’s happening in emergency rooms pro-obamacare?
4. What’s wrong with being pro-obamacare? It’s the law. It’s a messed up law that might have to be scrapped and something better put in place, but we really need to do something. Is that pro-obamacare?
@ Mediator, what is wrong with being for Obama Care, your serious Mr. Nelson ok. Try that one when you go round ask folks to vote for you you will see.
@ Mediator, don’t be a liar or a smart ass, Doug. You have said your Doug Nelson, I seen it to, your going to loose if you keep like this yes.
@Ventura Vince-what do you expect from a liberal democrat. They were taught to lie by their leader in the White House. It is what they do best.
Old Tommy boy is pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes again. Only 5 million people nation wide have signed up for this fiasco and a lot of them have not made their premium payments. So, the rumors about how great this is are wrong. Most of who signed up were people who lost their insurance and are now paying more. And, of course the medicaid people who now have insurance that is 100% funded by us taxpayers.
Comrad Harkin, thanks for pointing out all the “free” things.
Please dont mention things are free or reduced because they are being subsidized by tax payers and people who are dumb enough to still work for a living.
Healthcare, foodstamps, heating assistance, housing assistance, free lunches before, during and after school for my kids. Let the fools work and tell them what a good deal thay are getting when most of it goes to take care of my family and not theirs!
This is wonderful news Tom. Now there should be no reason to bail out the insurance companies. Right
People will only call it obamacare until they start liking it. Then it will be called by it’s proper name “health care”.
I’ve been hearing good things from some of the emergency rooms such as at the University of Iowa Hospitals. People aren’t using it as their first provider anymore, they are using their new Obamacare providers. That’s saving huge amounts of money that the UoI hospitals used to have to eat.
What people don’t seem to realize is that if they had cheap insurance, it didn’t actually cover much. If it’s not up to the new standards, it was junk and finding out too late was harmful.
@Mediator-what people are going to find out real fast (Hospitals too) is that they now must pay a deductible (some as high as 15K depending on income) and then are responsible for 30% of the cost. The hospitals will never collect that money but are probably happy to get the 70% paid by insurance. Whatever made them think if they couldn’t afford insurance before they can now just because the premium may or may not be lower. Everyone I know is paying twice as much for premiums.
I looked into mine and I’m within $50/mo of the price I was paying and I don’t get subsidies.
Anyone paying double likely had a policy that really didn’t cover what is considered essential care and doesn’t meet the minimum standards. Getting them away from that is a good thing as they were going to throw good money away until they needed coverage and didn’t get it.
If the hospitals are getting 70% instead of 0, that’s a lot the rest of us don’t have to cover!
@mediator-Only a Democrat would think it is OK for the government to tell us what is good for us and how to live our lives. Sure glad to hear your views Doug it will make it easy when people vote.
Please don’t misrepresent me.
Mediator you talk silly.
Hospitals did not “eat” any fees for treating uninsured people. The hospitals built that cost into the price of their services. Higher fees for the insured folks paid those fees.
Now that the hospital isn’t providing that “so-called” free service they should be reducing their fees.
They are not! They are laughing all the way to bank.
Mediator you need some schooling in how the hospital comptrollers set their prices for their services.
What about the thousands who have lost their insurance and are now paying a lot more for a lot less coverage? They don’t ever talk about the damage they have done to employment and to the taxpaying citizens just to benefit those who pay nothing. The state will be well rid of this idiot.
LVS…Or, what about the people who had their hours and or work status cut to part time, so their employer could get around providing employee insurance.
http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-employer-mandate.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/obamacare-prompting-businesses-to-cut-employee-hours-so-far-yes-and-no/2013/10/29/f1fee542-40b7-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html
@Mediator-Save your self some time and don’t put those left wing links on here. No one believes them or reads them anyway except for the democrats and the rest of us know better.
I agree LVS
I read the article Mediator posted in his comment. That is an opinion piece in the Washington Post.
The numbers cited are skewed.
I know for a fact that two of our largest local fast food employer’s have had their managers start cutting hours back to 27 work hours per week.
They were anticipating the law to take effect the first of the year but the delay to 2014 has them easing up for now. Just wait till the first of next year and then look at the numbers. It will be bad!