Fw: 10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform - Sources attached

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1. Once reform is fully implemented,over 95% of Americans will have health insurance coverage, including32 million who are currently uninsured. 2. Health insurance companies willno longer be allowed to deny people coverage because of preexistingconditions—or to drop coverage when people become sick. 3. Just like members of Congress,individuals and small businesses who can't afford to purchase insuranceon their own will be able to pool together and choose from a varietyof competing plans with lower premiums. 4. Reform will cut the federalbudget deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years, and a whopping$1.2 trillion in the following ten years. 5. Health care will be more affordablefor families and small businesses thanks to new tax credits, subsidies,and other assistance—paid for largely by taxing insurance companies, drugcompanies, and the very wealthiest Americans. 6. Seniors on Medicare will payless for their prescription drugs because the legislation closes the " donut hole " gap in existing coverage. 7. By reducing health care costsfor employers, reform will create or save more than 2.5 million jobsover the next decade. 8. Medicaid will be expandedto offer health insurance coverage to an additional 16 million low-incomepeople. 9. Instead of losing coverage afterthey leave home or graduate from college, young adults will be ableto remain on their families' insurance plans until age 26. 10. Community health centers wouldreceive an additional $11 billion, doubling the number of patients whocan be treated regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. Sources:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10. " AffordableHealth Care for America: Summary, " House Energy and Commerce Committee,March 18, 2010 http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/SUMMARY.pdf3. " Insurance Companies Prosper,Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System, " U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services, Accessed March 22, 2010 http://healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html4. " Affordable Health Carefor America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Revenue Provisions, " House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010 http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/REVENUE.pdf5. " New Jobs Through BetterHealth Care, " Center for American Progress, January 8, 2010 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/new_jobs_health.html8, 9. " Proposed Changes inthe Final Health Care Bill, " The New York Times, March 22,2010 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/19/us/politics/20100319-health-care-reconciliation.html10. " Affordable Health Carefor America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Addressing Health andHealth Care Disparities, " House Energy and Commerce Committee, March20, 2010 http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/DISPARITIES.pdf