The ACA is Here to Stay: 4 Ways That's a Beautiful Thing

If you've been following us on Facebook or Twitter, you might have noticed that we've spent the last couple of weeks sharing some of the great things health care reform is already doing for Americans. How come? Well, for one, according to the Pew Research Center, 44% of Americans don't even know if the Affordable Care Act is still in effect.  And, as a recent Texas Tribune article that summed up polling on the law concluded, even fewer Texans have a good feel for what's in the law and how it helps them. If you support health reform, why not help get out the word by sharing some facts about why it matters for Texans? (Those handy buttons for sharing at the bottom of this blog post make that easy.) And if you're unsure yourself about what's in the Affordable Care Act, click on any of the images below to go to our quick, fun video shorts, explaining each of these 4 ways the law is already helping Texans and will help still more in 2014.

1. Coverage for those with pre-existing conditions means peace of mind for many Americans who were once denied health insurance:

2. Preventive care's covered. Since 2012, women haven't had to pay out-of-pocket costs for many types of preventive care. In 2014, anyone with health insurance will receive all preventive care services at no extra cost.

3. Insurers are held accountable. Now more of your premium dollars for private insurance have to go toward actual health care; insurers can't just spend ever-growing amounts on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.

4. Health insurance companies can no longer deny you health care because of lifetime spending caps. So if you get really sick and need expensive treatment, you don’t have to worry about not getting the care you need.

It's not too late to join in this health care celebration by liking and sharing this post with your friends. Also, please stay tuned: our friends with the Center for Public Policy Priorities will be posting in this space throughout September about what's coming up now that full implementation of the nation's law is almost here.

Thanks, and here's to a well and healthy Texas!

By: Liz Moskowitz and Christine Sinatra, Texans Care for Children. Special thanks to our former community educator with this campaign, Cheasty Anderson, who stars in the videos linked to above.