WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee who helped craft the health reform legislation in the Senate, released the following statement marking the one year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law by President Obama:   

"For years now, the U.S. has been spending twice as much on health care as most other advanced nations while still failing to get better results and leaving millions of Americans without coverage. The Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law one year ago, represents significant progress in our effort to improve health care for all Americans.   

"It works by establishing new initiatives – such as tax credits to help small businesses with the cost of providing health care; expansion of employer wellness programs; removal of co-payments for preventative services like screenings and immunizations; annual checkups in Medicare; assistance to help seniors pay for prescription drugs such as through closing the Part D donut hole; consumer protections to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to Americans with preexisting conditions or dropping their coverage when they get sick or injured; and new, stronger programs to fight fraud, waste and abuse that will protect and extend the life of Medicare. These initiatives and more help deliver better health care results for less money, and in doing so, ensure that we can provide more Americans with access to affordable, quality care.  

"That being said, we all know there is no such thing as a perfect law, and health care reform is no exception. This anniversary offers an opportunity to highlight the law's strengths, as well as work on areas where we can and should make improvements. Fortunately, this law is not written in stone, and I will continue to work with all of my colleagues and the Administration to improve the law and our health care system."   

For more information on the Affordable Care Act and its benefits for Delaware please visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/.  

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