[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HEALTH REFORM LAW

  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, as we pass the 1-year 
anniversary since health care reform was signed into law, I rise to 
recognize how much it has benefitted thousands in my State. South 
Dakotans now have a fair shake when it comes to buying health coverage 
and increased protections from some of the worst abuses of the health 
insurance industry.
  I have heard from far too many who thought they were protected by 
their health insurance, only to find they faced arbitrary annual or 
lifetime limits on benefits. Some were even dropped entirely from their 
coverage when they needed it the most. Health reform has already put an 
end to these practices, and is giving hard-working Americans the 
security of reliable coverage.
  Commonsense changes that had been supported by Republicans and 
Democrats in Congress for years are also now in effect. Children are no 
longer at risk for being denied coverage due to a preexisting condition 
like asthma or diabetes. Young adults are now able to stay on their 
parent's health care plan until age 26, extending coverage as many 
transition from education to the workforce.
  Over 129,000 South Dakota seniors are already seeing improvements to 
Medicare, including eliminated copayments for preventive care like 
immunizations and annual wellness visits. Last year over 11,945 
Medicare beneficiaries in our State reached the gap in prescription 
drug coverage, known as the donut hole, and received a one-time $250 
rebate to help pay for prescriptions. These beneficiaries will continue 
to receive deep discounts until the donut hole is completely closed in 
the years ahead.
  Health reform also expands Medicare beneficiaries' access to care by 
providing a 10-percent Medicare bonus payment for primary care 
providers and for general surgeons practicing in health professional 
shortage areas. It also puts in place important changes to our health 
care delivery system to ensure we are paying for the quality of patient 
care and health outcomes, rather than quantity of tests and procedures 
performed.
  Not only has this law benefited South Dakotans, but these 
improvements have taken place without harming our economic recovery. 
Since the President signed the Affordable Care Act into law a year ago, 
the economy has grown at an average rate of 2.7 percent, and nearly 1.4 
million private sector jobs have been created.
  As Congress looks for ways to get our deficit in line, the 
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that reform 
will reduce the deficit by a total of $210 billion over the next 10 
years and by more than $1 trillion over the next 20 years.
  We must be realistic about this law in that it cannot fix all the 
problems with our health care delivery system overnight. But I 
supported reform to give our Nation the best chance at improving the 
system while reigning in costs. There is room for improvements, and if 
there is a good idea out there, I want to hear it.
  What we cannot afford, however, is to turn back the clock on all the 
improvements the American people have seen in the last year, and will 
continue to experience as this law is fully implemented in the coming 
years.

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