How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Guam
For too long, too many hardworking Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to insurance companies and put barriers between patients and their doctors. The Affordable Care Act gives hardworking families in Guam the security they deserve. The new health care law forces insurance companies to play by the rules, prohibiting them from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy because of an annual or lifetime limit, or, soon, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition.
All Americans will have the security of knowing that they don’t have to worry about losing coverage if they’re laid off or change jobs. And insurance companies now have to cover your preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings. The new law also makes a significant investment in State and community-based efforts that promote public health, prevent disease and protect against public health emergencies.
Health reform is already making a difference for the people of Guam by:
Making prescription drugs affordable for seniors
The health care law includes benefits to make Medicare prescription drug coverage more affordable. In 2010, 205 people with Medicare in Guam who hit the prescription drug donut hole received a $250 rebate. In 2011, people with Medicare who hit the donut hole began receiving a 50 percent discount on covered brand-name drugs and a discount on generic drugs. Since the law was enacted, Guam residents with Medicare have saved a total of $344,654 on their prescription drugs. In the first nine months of 2012, 171 people with Medicare received a 50 percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. This discount has resulted in an average savings of $576 per person, and a total savings of $98,497 in Guam in 2012. By 2020, the law will close the donut hole.
Covering preventive services with no deductible or co-pay
In 2011, 5,380 people with Medicare in Guam received free preventive services – such as mammograms and colonoscopies – or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor. And in the first nine months of 2012, 4,663 people with Medicare received free preventive services.
Scrutinizing unreasonable premium increases
In every State and for the first time under Federal law, insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more. Guam has received $3,000,000 under the new law to help fight unreasonable premium increases.
Supporting Guam’s work on Affordable Insurance Exchanges
Guam has received $1,000,000 in grants for research, planning, information technology development, and implementation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges.
- $1,000,000 in Planning Grants: This grant provides Guam the resources needed to conduct the research and planning necessary to build a better health insurance marketplace and determine how its exchange will be operated and governed. Learn how the funds are being used in Guam here.
Preventing illness and promoting health (Last Updated: March 15, 2012)
Since 2010, Guam has received $700,000 in grants from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. This new fund was created to support effective policies in Guam, its communities, and nationwide so that all Americans can lead longer, more productive lives.
Increasing support for community health centers
The Affordable Care Act increases the funding available to community health centers nationwide. In Guam, one health center operates 2 sites, providing preventive and primary health care services to 13,947 people. Health Center grantees in Guam have received $1,020,098 under the Affordable Care Act to support ongoing health center operations and to establish new health center sites, expand services, and/or support major capital improvement projects.
Strengthening partnerships with Guam (Last Updated: March 15, 2012)
The law gives states support for their work to build the health care workforce, crack down on fraud, and support public health. Examples of Affordable Care Act grants to Guam not outlined above include:
- $1,500,000 for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. These programs bring health professionals to meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a child’s health, development, and ability to learn - such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition.
Last updated: October 25, 2012
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