Healthcare, Education Victory Within Reach

March 21, 2010

 

President Barack Obama speaks about healthcare reform at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., on March 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Last night, Campus Progress and other youth organizations released the following statement heralding the historic passage of comprehensive health care and student aid reform in the House. Although there is still work to be done – the Senate must now pass the bill – the House vote represents a critical step towards achieving universal health care and affordable college for all.

As the President said in his statement last night, the vote also represents “a victory for common sense,” dealing a blow to corporate lobbyists and special interest groups who have been exploiting the system for far too long. Campus Progress looks forward to building upon this victory in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Y.I. Want Change Applauds House Passage of Health Care Reform Bill

Washington, DC – The Y.I. Want Change Coalition – a coalition of organizations representing millions of young people – applauds the House passage of historic health care legislation. After years of inaction and months of struggle, both chambers of Congress have approved a bill that will expand health care coverage to millions of Americans.

“For all Americans, but particularly young Americans, this is a historic moment that guarantees affordable, stable health care for all,” said Aaron Smith, co-founder of Young Invincibles. “This bill will provide our generation with the opportunity to pursue our dreams without fear of a lack of health insurance. Thank you to the diligent efforts of hundreds of lawmakers, thousands of advocates, millions of citizens, and especially thanks to the tireless work of Speaker Pelosi.”

As a result of the legislation passed tonight, 9 million young adults will now have access to care through the expansion of Medicaid, over 2 million more young adults can access health insurance through their parents’ plans, and millions more will benefit from tax credits that will allow them to afford to buy insurance for the first time.

“Campus Progress applauds the House for taking this great step forward in reforming our health care system,” said Natasha Bowens, Advocacy Associate for Campus Progress. “While there is still a long road ahead to accomplish the kind of change young Americans would like to see, this bill will provide a strong foundation to achieving universal health care in the future. We applaud the House for keeping provisions such as the expansion of Medicaid and the extension of dependent coverage until the age of 26, and for strengthening subsidies for so many low-income Americans.”

The coalition also applauds the House passage of the reconciliation bill, and urges swift Senate passage, which will include student loan reform that helps make college more affordable for our generation. However, even after its passage, our work is not done. We look forward to working with Congress and the administration to implement this important piece of legislation. Below is a synopsis of the chronology of the implementation of key provisions for young adults.

 

Immediate Benefits:

90 Days After Passage (June 2010):

  • Access to insurance through a temporary “high-risk pool” for Americans who were denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition. This will benefit the 15 percent of young Americans who suffer from chronic conditions.

6 Months After Date of Passage (September 2010):

 

  • Allow young Americans to remain on their parents’ health insurance until their 26th birthday. Over 2 million previously uninsured young adults will benefit from this provision.

    •  

     

  • Prohibit health plans from dropping individuals’ coverage when they get sick.

    •  

     

  • Ban lifetime limits on covered benefits.

    •  

     

  • Prohibit restrictive annual limits on benefits (all annual limits banned by 2014).

    •  

     

  • Require pre-deductible preventive care services with no cost-sharing under all new plans (applies to all existing plans by 2018).

 

January 1, 2011:

  • Require all plans to spend 80 percent (for small/individual plans) or 85 percent (for large group plans) of premiums on medical services. Those who fail to do so must submit rebates to consumers.

Benefits After Full Implementation (January 1, 2014):

 

  • Expand Medicaid to cover every American earning less than 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), providing coverage to 9 million currently uninsured young adults.

    •  

     

  • Provide tax credits for purchasing health insurance to individuals who lack employer-provided insurance and earn less than 400 percent of the FPL.

  • Ban denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

    •  

     

  • Limit insurance companies to charging older adults no more than three times the insurance premiums of younger adults.

    •  

     

  • Establish state insurance exchanges to facilitate market competition and enforce minimum benefit standards.

  • Offer young adults under age 30 the option of purchasing a low-cost Catastrophic-Plan.

 

Y.I. Want Change is a national coalition of more than 20 youth organizations and their affiliates, including Advocates for Youth, Black Youth Vote, Campus Camp Wellstone, Campus Progress, Center for Community Change, Daily Get Up, Energy Action Coalition, Forward Montana, Future Majority, Generation WE, Generational Alliance, Rock the Vote, Roosevelt Institution Campus Network, SAVE, Student PIRGs, Young Democrats of America, Young Invincibles, and Young People First. For additional information please visit www.yiwantchange.org.