Report: Health Reform Law Providing Tangible Benefits to Californians
The federal health reform law has provided measurable benefits to millions of Californians during the one year since President Obama signed it into law, according to a report by the California Budget Project, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the reform law's passage.
Reform Law's Impact on California
According to the report, the reform law already has:
- Allowed young adults up to age 26 to receive coverage through their parents' health insurance plans;
- Offered nearly 300,000 Californians -- who previously were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions -- an opportunity to obtain coverage through a temporary high-risk insurance pool; and
- Started to close the gap in prescription drug coverage for California seniors.
Predictions
The CBP report estimated that as many as eight million Californians could obtain coverage through the state health insurance exchange when it launches in 2014.
The group also predicted that the reform law could reduce the number of uninsured Californians by two thirds -- or about 4.7 million people -- through subsidies, employer incentives and increased eligibility for Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/23).
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