WASHINGTON -- In advance of the Supreme Court's decision expected tomorrow on the Affordable Care Act, Congressman Tim Bishop highlighted the many benefits seniors, private insurance holders, young adults, and Americans with pre-existing medical conditions have received under the law since its passage in 2010. All information was collected by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Seniors:

* The Affordable Care Act gradually closes the "donut hole" or coverage gap for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, and will completely eliminate the gap by 2020. Since the law was enacted, New York residents with Medicare Part D coverage have saved a total of $269,451,402 on their prescription drugs.

* In the first five months of 2012, 50,447 people with Medicare Part D coverage received a 50 percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. This discount has resulted in an average savings of $655 per person, and a total savings of $33,040,539 in New York.

* In 2011, 2,012,136 people with Medicare in New York received free preventive services, including mammograms and colonoscopies, or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor. In the first five months of 2012, 888,703 people with Medicare received free preventive services.

Americans with Private Insurance:

* Because of the Affordable Care Act, 3,342,000 in New Yorkers with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing. In August, New York women will begin receiving free coverage for a package of comprehensive women's preventive services.

* The Affordable Care Act generally requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of consumers' premium dollars on medical care and quality improvement, and can only spend the remaining 20 percent on administrative costs, such as salaries and marketing. 1,001,476 New Yorkers will benefit from $86,526,642 in rebates, an average of $138 per family, from insurance companies as a result of the law.

* The law bans lifetime benefit dollar limits imposed by insurance companies. Already, 6,432,000 residents, including 2,529,000 women and 1,609,000 children, with chronic conditions are free from worrying that their illness will bankrupt them. The law also restricts the use of annual coverage limits and bans them completely in 2014.

Young Adults:

* 160,000 New Yorkers under age 26 have taken advantage of the Affordable Care Act's provision allowing them to obtain health insurance through their parents' plan.

Patients with Pre-Existing Conditions:

* As of April 2012, 3,320 previously uninsured residents of New York who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under the new health reform law.

* As of March 23, 2010, under the law, plans that cover children can no longer exclude, limit, or deny coverage to children under age 19 solely based on a health problem or disability that a child developed before seeking coverage. These protections will be extended to Americans of all ages starting in 2014.

Read this original document at: http://timbishop.house.gov/latest-news/benefits-of-the-affordable-care-act-for-new-yorkers/