March 22,2011

Statement on the one year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

MEMORANDUM

To: Reporters and Editors
From: Scott Mulhauser and Erin Shields for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.)

Re: Statement on the one year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) today issued the following statement on the Affordable Care Act, one day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the law.  President Obama signed the historic legislation on March 23, 2010.  Baucus was a key architect of the health care law in the Senate.  From Chairman Baucus:

“One year after enactment, the Affordable Care Act is already making a huge difference in the lives of people in Montana and across the country.  The law is cutting taxes for small businesses that offer health insurance and ending discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions.  For seniors, the new health care law means new Medicare benefits including a free annual wellness visit and free preventive care, like screenings for diabetes and high blood pressure.  And for seniors in the Medicare drug benefit coverage gap, the new health law means a 50-percent discount on prescription drugs.  The health care law will reduce the deficit by $143 billion in just the first decade alone and then by more than a trillion dollars in the decade that follows.  As implementation of these new benefits continues, we need to keep fighting to contain costs and ensure that as these new tools kick in, we are using them to make health care as affordable and accessible as possible.  It’s time to get past the political scare tactics so we can work together to improve the law and ensure it works as well as possible for families in Montana and across the country.”

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