Speakers from two retiree organizations, including the United Steelworkers’ group, today celebrated the second anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act by asking supporters to actively speak out for the reform that has improved Medicare.
 
Representatives of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees and the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans urged the 50 health care reform supporters who attended a press conference in the lobby of the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh to tell their friends, neighbors, even strangers about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
 
Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers (USW), described how the Affordable Care Act benefits seniors: it closes the “doughnut hole” in Part D prescription coverage, guarantees free preventative coverage, eliminates health care caps, cracks down on Medicare fraud and generally makes sure “fees are reasonable and people aren’t getting ripped off.”
 
John DeFazio, Director of USW District 10, told listeners that although the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, if Americans want to progress from universal insurance to genuine universal health care, “we need to remember who’s in our corner.  We need to get our friends elected.”
 
All of the speakers agreed that retirees, young people and working families who benefit from the Affordable Care Act spread the truth about who the Affordable Care Act helps and how.
 
Jack Shea, president of the Allegheny County Labor Council, told the group “I like using the term ‘Obamacare,’ because damn right Obama cares!  The people who are being taken care of in Obamacare are us, and it’s our responsibility to get the information out.” 
 
Speaking near the end of the event, Henry Lipput, 57, of Pittsburgh, said the Affordable Care Act will enable him to get insurance. Soon, he said, his eligibility for extended insurance from the employer who laid him off in 2010 will expire. It is a relief that the new law will then enable him to get care, he said, adding:  “Happy anniversary.”