The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to secure health care access, prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and imposing lifetime limits. It emphasizes consumer control over medical decisions, affordable coverage, and protective reforms, including preventive care without costs. Although the ACA enhances health security, political opposition persists, particularly regarding state participation and funding for programs like Badgercare.

1. The Affordable Care Act
Making health care more secure and
returning control to consumers
1

2. Before the
Affordable Care Act
It was legal for health
insurance Companies to
DENY COVERAGE
to kids with cancer and other
pre-existing conditions.
We must never go back!

3. Denied
Pre-existing
condition
We must move forward!
Starting in 2014
It will be illegal for health
insurance companies to
DENY COVERAGE
to people with cancer and
to cancer survivors

4. Starting in 2014
It will be illegal for health
insurance Companies to
DENY COVERAGE or
CHARGE HIGHER RATES
to all people with pre-
existing conditions
We must move forward!

5. Freedom:
• Every American should have the freedom to control their own
medical decisions without interference from insurance
companies.
Access to Health Care is an
American Value

6. Access to Health Care is an
American Value
Opportunity:
• Americans who lack access to stable
and affordable health coverage do
not have a fair shot at the American
dream. They face a constant threat
of having their lives and careers
devastated by health disasters that
also become financial disasters.
• Every American should have the
opportunity to change jobs or start a
small business without losing health
coverage.

7. Access to Health Care is an
American Value
Responsibility:
• Everyone should take responsibility for getting health care
coverage for themselves and their families so long as it is made
affordable and accessible.
• The insurance industry should be able to make reasonable profit
but in return should be held accountable by not profiting from
abusive practices and discrimination.

8. The Affordable Care Act
The national health care law
advances American health care values
--Passed March 23, 2010
--Reforms Come in 2 Stages
But first, we’re talking about
this because…

9. It’s the law of the land and it’s time to move forward. The
private market failed to guarantee access to affordable health
coverage. For the first time everyone will have somewhere to
go to get good coverage at a reasonable price, no matter what.

10. Stages of Reform
Affordable Care Act
signed into law

11. Stage 1 Early Reforms
The Affordable Care Act holds insurance industry
and government responsible for:
• Preventive care coverage & screenings with no co-pays
or deductibles
• Young adults can stay on parents private insurance
policies until age 26
• Preventive care without cost sharing for seniors on
Medicare

12. Because of
healthcare reform
over 6 million young
adults are now
covered on their
parents’ policy.

13. Stage 1 Early Reforms
Insurance industry violations of health care freedom
already outlawed by the Affordable Care Act
• Preexisting condition exclusions (kids now/everyone in
2014)
• Lifetime limits
• Dropping coverage after a person gets sick
• Excessive insurance industry profits and overhead capped

14. Pre-existing Condition
“Profiling” Will Be
Outlawed

15. Sami’s Story
“My 7-year-old son, Sami, suffers from a
disease that causes tumors to grow all
over his body. Sami’s treatments could
not continue if we hit our insurance
policy’s life time limit. Thanks to the
Affordable Care Act, insurance companies
can no longer impose lifetime limits or
deny health coverage to children like Sami
with preexisting conditions. We can’t go
back to being on our own against the
insurance companies.”
--Tracy, Appleton, Wisconsin
.

16. The Affordable Care Act ends health
insurance industry assault on
opportunity and freedom of 1.3 million
Wisconsinites
• More than 1.3 million
Wisconsinites under the age of
65 have been diagnosed with pre-
existing conditions that, without
health reform, could lead to
denials of coverage or
discriminatory rates.
• As we age, the risk of insurance
industry discrimination escalates.

17. Just Some of the Examples of Preexisting
Conditions

18. Gender Discrimination

19. Stage 2 Full Reform:
Guaranteed affordable
health care (2014) that can
never be taken away!
Health coverage guaranteed to everyone who buys insurance
on their own or works for a small business
through new consumer-friendly competitive marketplaces

20. Competitive Health Marketplace
for Middle Class
• Created by each state, or federal
government if state refuses (Wisconsin
refused)
• You choose your own private insurance on
a website, like Travelocity or Consumer
Reports.
• Consumers in control, with clear
information and real competition.
• Members of Congress offered
same choices we have.
• Open to all Americans who don’t have affordable health
coverage options now or in the future.

21. Competitive Health
Marketplace for Middle
Class
• Coverage more secure: bans denials of
coverage due to preexisting conditions or
dropping coverage when someone get sick.
• Coverage more affordable: premium tax
credits on a sliding scale.
• New options, such as nonprofit member
owned cooperatives.
• No discriminatory pricing based on medical
condition, age, and gender.

22. Remy’s Story
“I own a small café. Over 20 years ago I
beat cancer, but ever since then no
insurance company would sell me a policy
because my cancer is called a preexisting
condition. Starting in 2014 under the
Affordable Care Act, no insurance
company will be allowed to discriminate
against me because I’m a cancer
survivor.”
--Remy, Pepin, Wisconsin

23. BadgerCare for low income
Wisconsinites
• The Affordable Care Act gives billions in federal dollars
to WI to fill in the holes in BadgerCare.
• HOWEVER: The Supreme Court gave states the ability
to reject this additional federal money.
• Governor Walker rejected the federal funds.
• Walker’s approach costs Wisconsin $149 million more
in the current state budget and forces 98,000 off
BadgerCare.

24. • The good news is that because of the Affordable Care
Act people forced off of BadgerCare will have access to
the new health insurance marketplaces.
• The bad news is that it will be hard for very low income
people to afford because the law assumed that this
group would end up on BadgerCare.
• The additional good news is that Wisconsin can take
the enhanced BadgerCare money at any time.
• This will happen, the only question is how long people
have to go without health coverage.

25. Before You Assume This is
A Partisan Issue…
• Chris Christie, New Jersey, (R)
• Jan Brewer, Arizona, (R)
• Rick Scott, Florida, (R)
• Terry Branstad, Iowa (R)
• Rick Snyder, Michigan, (R)
• Brian Sandoval, Nevada, (R)
• Susana Martinez, New Mexico, (R)
• Jack Dalrymple, North Dakota, (R)
• John Kasich, Ohio, (R)
• Lincoln Chaffee, Rhode Island, (I)
Conservative Governors Who Have Accepted Federal Funds

26. Terry’s Story
"I'm a personal care worker, I work at a
group home and makes $9 an hour
taking care of people's health. Even
though I work to keep other people
healthy, I do not have affordable health
care myself. I have not been able to
qualify for BadgerCare, in fact I'm just
over number 141,000 on the waiting
list. I'm father of three, I want to give
my children their chance at the
American dream but without health
insurance, we're looking at an
uncertain future."
-Terry O, Milwaukee

27. Strengthen Medicare
The Affordable Care Act protects Medicare benefits
and strengthens the program for future
generations by:
• cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse in
Medicare,
• ending handouts to insurance companies, and
• providing free preventive care to decrease costly
emergency room visits and reduce health care
costs long-term.

28. Why Is This Even An
Issue?
• Big Insurance wants to repeal health
reform so it can continue to profit
from discrimination.
• Some unscrupulous politicians want
to sabotage the implementation of
health reform in order to further
their political ambitions.
•There are ideological opponents who refuse to accept health reform
and cannot be swayed by any amount of facts showing the benefits.

29. The Affordable Care Act is
Worth Protecting
Insurance companies must now play fairly.
It’s the law.
• PROTECTION: Working families no longer can be denied coverage for
preexisting conditions, risk losing their coverage when they get sick or hit a
“lifetime limit”
• PREVENTION: Preventative care must be covered free of charge by
insurance companies--including mammograms for women and wellness visits
for seniors.

30. The Affordable Care Act is Worth
Protecting
Insurance companies must now play fairly.
It’s the law.
• FAIRNESS: Millions of Americans have received a rebate because their
insurance company spent too much of their premium on administrative
costs or CEO bonuses.
• PEACE OF MIND: Families will not be forced into bankruptcy when
someone gets sick, and can get affordable coverage no matter where they
choose to work or what gender they are; with no loopholes or fine print in
their policy!

32. Questions?
• Kevin Kane
Healthcare Organizer
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
414 550 8280 (cell)
kevin.kane@citizenactionwi.org
facebook.com/got.healthcare
GotHealthcareWI.com