How the Affordable Care Act Is Making a Difference in South Carolina

Since its passage, the Affordable Care Act is improving life for South Carolinians every day.

However, what is the ACA doing to improve our lives?

Healthcare.gov  gives a great rundown of the benefits the ACA brings to the state.

• It provides new coverage options for young adults. Parents can now keep their children coverage on their health insurance until their child turns 26 years old. As of December 2011, more than 50,000 South Carolina young adults gained coverage because of this provision.
• It makes prescription drugs affordable for seniors. The health care law makes Medicare prescription drug coverage more affordable. Since the ACA was enacted, South Carolinians with Medicaid have saved almost $70 million on their prescription drugs.
• It allows for covering of preventive services with no deductible or co-pay. Because of this law, in 2011 755,000 people in South Carolina (almost 650,000 of them women) gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing.
• It helps in preventing illness and promoting health. South Carolina has received $18 million in grants from the Prevention and Public Health Fund since 2011.
• It places more scrutiny on unreasonable premium increases. Under the ACA, South Carolina has received $1 million to fight unreasonable premium increases.

For a list of more benefits of the new health care law and how it is making a difference in the lives of South Carolinians, head over to http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/sc.html