How Does Obamacare Affect Seniors?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, was designed to help uninsured Americans find the affordable access to healthcare that would allow them to take advantage of preventive services and receive the medical care that many people already enjoy. It not only provides health insurance to low-income individuals, but it is also particularly concerned with groups like children, pregnant women, and of course, the elderly – those who often need additional services or may not have the same resources as the average working adult. So if you are a senior, you’ll be happy to hear that medicare has been strengthened and improved under Obamacare.

Of particular importance to most senior citizens will be the changes made to Medicare under the ACA. Luckily, Obamacare hasn’t derailed Medicare, as many people feared it would before the ACA went into effect. In fact, it expands Medicare in a variety of ways, creating new opportunities for seniors to cover medical services. It’s important to understand that Medicare is not actually part of Obamacare and, therefore, those already enrolled in Medicare are not required to make any changes or alterations during open enrollment –do not replace your Medicare coverage with a Marketplace plan.

Prices for premiums were not negatively impacted by the implementation of Obamacare. In most cases, they held steady and in some cases decreased slightly. What is more important for most seniors, however, is the fact that medications have become more affordable. Even better, the ACA has built-in provisions to continue lowering the out-of-pocket cost for prescriptions for seniors each year until 2020, when the existing coverage gap, or “donut hole” will be eliminated. In addition, access to medical services, especially preventive care visits, has increased thanks to lowered costs for such services. Funding for patient coordination services will also increase, helping to ensure that seniors are able to find the medical care they need to remain healthy and well.

In other words, Obamacare has done a lot to increase services and decrease costs where healthcare for seniors is concerned. So if you have heard a lot of hubbub about the ACA being detrimental to senior healthcare and Medicare, contact your insurance broker for a detailed explanation of your health care options. If you’re a senior citizen, chances are good that you’ll receive more benefits than ever under Obamacare.