The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Repealing Obamacare

I am so tired of hearing the phrase "repeal Obamacare." Every Republican presidential candidate seems to be stuck on this phrase.

Turning back the clock on health care reform will reverse the progress made regarding insuring kids who were previously denied insurance and other advances. I made a little list of some of the ways healthcare reform has benefited the people of Alabama. Most of the information comes from here.



The Department of Health and Human Services has so far awarded $16.7 million in grants to improve healthcare in our state.

57,533 Medicare part D rebate checks ($250) have been issued to close the donut hole coverage gap. Beneficiaries this year are receiving a 50% discount on their brand name prescription drugs.

77 uninsured Alabamians have enrolled in the pre-existing condition plan that provides a health coverage option for consumers who have been uninsured for at least six months, have a pre-existing condition or have been denied health coverage because of their health condition. In Alabama, this plan in managed by the Feds (because we didn't do it).

$1 million is being spent to crackdown on unreasonable insurance premium increases. You can read more about that here.

Another $1 million is being used to plan for a Health Insurance Exchange, and Alabama is working on this.

40 employers in Alabama have enrolled in the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program that provides financial relief to businesses, schools, state and local governments, and non-profits to help retirees and their families continue insurance coverage. So far these entities have enrolled.

  • Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc- Birmingham
  • Alabama West Florida Conference*
  • American Cast Iron Pipe Company
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
  • City of Dothan, Alabama
  • City of Huntsville General Activities
  • City of Huntsville Utilities
  • City of Mobile, Alabama
  • City of Montgomery
  • City of Phenix City
  • City of Tuscaloosa
  • Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.
  • Council of the City of Anniston*
  • DCH Healthcare Authority
  • Decatur Utilities
  • Drummond Company, Inc.
  • Electric Cooperative Voluntary Employees Benefit A
  • Energen Corporation
  • IBEW-NECA Local 505 Health Plan
  • Jefferson County Commission
  • Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
  • Legacy Vulcan Corp.
  • Local 903 IBEW Health and Welfare Plan
  • Mechanical Contractors - U. A. Local 119 Welfare Plan
  • Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.
  • Mobile County Commission
  • Montgomery County Commission
  • National Cement Co of Alabama
  • Pemco World Air Services
  • Phifer, Incorporated
  • PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
  • Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Plan
  • Regions Financial Corporation
  • Sheetmetal Workers Local 441 Health & Welfare Plan
  • State Employees' Insurance Board
  • The City of Auburn, Alabama, A Municipal Corporation
  • The Water Works Board of the City of Birmingham
  • The Westervelt Company
  • Tombigbee Healthcare Authority
  • Tuscaloosa County Office of Treasurer
  • Walter Energy, Inc.
  • Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board of the City of Montgomery AL

$3.7 million in Therapeutic Discovery Project Program Tax Credits and Grants to find new therapies and finding cures for cancer and such. Here is a list of the grants and credits in Alabama. Look at these lists, and think of all the jobs that would be lost if Obamacare were overturned. And the research that would not be done.

$3.92 million in grants from the Prevention and Public Health fund, including $3,356,505 for community and clinical prevention activities, which will help Alabama and its partners prevent and manage costly conditions (and we have plenty of these) and $561,795 to support public health infrastructure. These grants strengthen state and local capacity to meet 21st century public health challenges.

$1.5 million for maternal, infant and early childhood home visitation programs.

$500,000 for medicare improvements for patients and providers.

$5.1 million for capital development improvements in Health Centers.

This is a partial list, but from it you can see that repealing Obamacare would cost our state millions of dollars, and decrease the opportunities to improve the health of our residents. It would also cost thousands of jobs, so GOP, keep your hands off my Obamacare!

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