Already benefitting seniors
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides seniors and their families with greater savings and higher quality healthcare. The law also strengthens Medicare by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse and expands home care services so more Americans have the choice of living independently at home.
Here are a few provisions of the law that are helping seniors now and in the future.
- Seniors will be able to choose their own doctor or keep the one they have.
- More affordable prescription drugs. Seniors received a one-time $250 rebate check if they fell into the Medicare Part D "donut hole" and a 50 percent savings in cost of brand name drugs.
- Free preventive care services like cancer screenings and annual physical exams.
- No more lifetime limits on care. Insurers can no longer limit how much they will pay in essential medical benefits over a person's lifetime.
- Higher thresholds for Annual Limits on Care: must cover medical expenses up to at least $750,000 per year.
- The law increases the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and physician assistants to provide better access to care through expanded training opportunities, student loan forgiveness, and bonus payments.
- Expanded care services to some 20 million new patients served by community health centers.
- As of 2018, seniors can expect to save on average almost $200 per year in premiums and more than $200 per year in co-insurance compared to what they would have paid without the new law.
New Tools to Fight Fraud and Protect Your Medicare Benefits
- The law reduces payment errors, waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare system to improve the quality of services, ensure its financial stability, and strengthen Medicare for years to come.
Improves Long-Term Care and Home Care Services
- New tools and resources in the Elder Justice Act, which was included in the new law, will help prevent and combat elder abuse and neglect, and improve nursing home quality.
- Individuals on Medicaid will receive improved home- and community based care options, and spouses of people receiving home- and community based services through Medicaid will no longer be forced into poverty.
Nursing Home Protections
- The law provides expanded resources, such as access to quality ratings and complaint reports, for families seeking nursing home care and greater protections for nursing home residents.
