Health Care
Congressman Braley meets with pharmacy students from Iowa in his Washington, DC office.
Affordable Care, Medicare & Medicaid
Let me state clearly: I support Medicare and Medicaid. I do not believe in some of the recent proposals in Congress that would privatize these programs or cut their benefits. Iowa seniors and families should have the peace of mind that comes with health coverage through these programs.
Providing affordable, accessible and quality health care to all Americans is one of my top priorities. I was proud to help pass the Affordable Care Act, which will decrease health insurance costs, expand access to quality, affordable health care, improve reimbursements for Iowa medical providers and allow Americans to maintain their choice of health insurance. This bill will provide much-needed relief for thousands of businesses in Iowa’s First District and will reduce our deficit by more than $143 billion over the next 10 years and $1.2 trillion in the 10 years after that.
We are already seeing the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act. Medicare reimbursements to Iowa providers increased by 5% in 2010 and 10% in 2011 as a result of my work on this bill. This means more Iowa providers will accept Medicare patients, providing greater access to care for Iowa seniors.
In addition, in Iowa’s First District, the Affordable Care Act will:
- Improve coverage for 394,000 Eastern Iowa residents with health insurance.
- Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 156,000 Eastern Iowa families and 14,000 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
- Improve Medicare for 102,000 Eastern Iowa beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
- Guarantee that 6,500 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
- Allow 50,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.
Accomplishments in Health Care
I’m proud of my other work to improve health care in Iowa. I’ve passed legislation to make sure that private health insurance policies are written in “Plain Language,” to make these policies easier to understand. I’ve passed fixes to our Medicare reimbursement structure, to correct long-standing geographic disparities that have penalized Iowa doctors, hospitals, and health providers for years. I’ve supported investments in community health centers, medical training programs, and medical research to find cures for many diseases. Finally, I’ve supported a number of efforts to decrease our medical costs and reduce the deficit, including reforms to the Medicare prescription drug program and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare.