HHS Officials& Hospital Administrators explain new benefits and policies under the current new law

NEW YORK - Congressman Charles Rangel and Health and Human Services Counsel Region II Director Jaime Torres were among several speakers on Saturday, October 30, 2010, who explained the new consumer benefits under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at a forum held at Harlem Hospital (506 Lenox Avenue).

"While the healthcare reforms ushered this year by Congress are the law of the land, many people are still unaware of the many benefits and changes that are now in effect," said Congressman Rangel at the forum, which started at 10 a.m. "I am proud to stand with so many community stakeholders to continue to get this important information out to the hardworking residents of Upper Manhattan."

HHS Region II Director Dr. Jaime Torres agreed, saying that local outreach efforts like the one on Saturday were key in attacking preventable diseases and lowering health care costs for everyone.

"This Administration and everyone at the Department of Health and Human Services are firmly committed to making sure that every New Yorker takes advantage of every benefit that they are entitled to under the new law," said Dr. Torres. "The more time our residents can spend out of the emergency rooms and hospital wards, the more time they can spend with their families, the more productive they can be at work or school. The healthier our communities are, the better off our entire country will be."

The event was co-sponsored by local areas hospitals, including Columbia University Medical Center, Harlem Hospital Center, Metropolitan Hospital Center, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital and St. Luke's- Roosevelt Medical Center. Other speakers included Doug Goggin-Callahan of the Medicare Rights Center.

"Access to quality healthcare is a right that every American deserves, regardless of how much money they make, where they live or what they do for a living," said Rangel. "We are only making this country stronger and more productive by ensuring that all of residents live longer and healthier lives."

NEW LAW IMPROVES HEALTHCARE ACCESS

Passed in March of 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act helps establish a new competitive health insurance market that will give tens of millions of Americans over the next decade the same choices of insurance that the members of Congress have. It helps improve and expand health care access by:

• Providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history
• Reducing premium costs for tens of millions of families and small business owners who are priced out of coverage by laying out common sense rules of the road and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of care.  
• Ending discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions.
• Stabilizing our economy by reducing the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next ten years – and more than $1 trillion over the second decade – by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse.

Some of the changes that are currently in effect include the prohibition on pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parent's health insurance plans until the age of 26.

A list of immediate benefits can be found here.