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Jackson Hospital CEO Says Parts Of The Health Care Overhaul Will Remain

The fate of the Affordable Care Act has been a contentious issue in this year’s election season.

President Obama promises to stand behind the law, which promises certain benefits to families and, especially to women.  Gov. Mitt Romney has vowed to repeal the law because it will be too expensive.

Physician Louis Hochheiser is the C-E-O of St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson. He said that he thinks insurance companies are likely to still offer these benefits, regardless of who is elected president.

"They’ve already built it into their cost structure, and it’s not as if they’re giving it away. People are still gonna be charged for this. You know, [it] becomes part of the total cost of your policy, versus your paying individually at the time you go get your mammogram."

Hochheiser  says he thinks the same will go for children being able to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26.

Hochheiser added that the A-C-A will make a big difference for women because it eliminates co-pays for pap smears and mammograms.

"Someone might have a $150 or $200 co-pay, and there’s a huge range in this. In tough times when they’re making choices of paying their bills or having food for their kids, they might say, ‘I’m not getting my mammogram this year."

Hochheiser

says catching abnormalities this way could make an enormous difference in the extent and cost of treating any diseases found.