Health Care Reform Legislation - District Impacts

Rep. Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has released district by district reports of how HR 3200, the health care bill being considered in the House, will change the lives of district residents.  

The fiscal impact of this program is huge - over $277 million would be added to the local economy in the form of payments to health care providers to cover care that is currently uncompensated.  Additionally, 674,000 residents could become eligible for health care coverage. These 541,000 Orange County residents are uninsured and rely on community clinics, their own pocketbooks, and emergency rooms for health care.  Many times their bills are not covered, leaving those with insurance to pick up the tab.

Putting the 541,000 uninsured but could become insured Orange County residents into perspective: as of May 2009, there are 1,599,698 registered voters in Orange County.  The number of people waiting to be insured is 1/3 (33%) the number of registered voters.  

Here's how are local Orange County Congressional districts stack up.  

John Campbell - CA 48th

• Up to 17,600 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to employees

11,8000 senior citizens would avoid the Medicare Part D donut hole

1,000 families could avoid bankruptcy due to health care costs

$62 million in uncovered care which is currently uncompensated would be covered. This money would be paid to hospitals and other health care providers.

 65,0000 of the estimated 87,000 uninsured residents of the CA 48th would gain access to health care.  It is estimated that 12% of the district is uninsured.

Ken Calvert - CA 44th

•  13,000 small businesses could receive health care tax credits for covering employees
• 13,100 seniors would not be hit by the Medicare Part D donut hole
• 2,200 families could avoid filing for bankruptcy because of medical expenses
• $27 million would be reimbursed to health care providers to cover currently uncovered people
• 121,000 of the estimated 146,000 uninsured residents could qualify for health care insurance 

Dana Rohrbacher - CA 46th

•  Up to 16,900 small businesses could receive tax credits for employee health care
• 10,000 senior citizens could avoid getting trapped in the Medicare Part D donut hole
  
• 1,000 families could avoid medical expense induced bankruptcy
  
• $27 million would go to hospitals and other health care providers as payments to cover currently uncompensated care
  
• 58,000 uninsured people of the approximately 77,000 uninsured people in the district could get health insurance

Ed Royce - CA 40th 

•  17,000 small businesses in his district could get tax credits to help pay for employee health care
• 9,600 seniors could not get sucked into the donut hole in Medicare Part D
• 1,000 families would not have to file for bankruptcy because of medical expenses
• $118 million would go to hospitals and health care providers in the district to cover currently uncovered costs
• 106,000 of the estimated 126,000 uninsured people in the district could have access to health insurance

Loretta Sanchez - CA 47th

• 17,600 small businesses could receive tax credits to offset costs of offering employee health care
• 3,900 seniors could avoid the Medicare Part D donut hole
•  980 families won't go into bankruptcy because of medical costs
• $43 million would be paid to health care providers to cover currently uncompensated care
• 191,000 of the 210,000 uninsured residents of the district would have access to health care