Resources for Understanding the Health Reform Bill

The Washington Post provides an excellent, helpful list of sites that detail what the health care reform bill means and what you can expect to happen over the next several years. We are already hard at work making sure that the regulations implementing the law are crafted wisely and with input from all affected individuals and organizations. You can give us your opinion on the bill by emailing us. We're taking all points of view seriously as we continue to work with the nation's leaders to implement the law.

Here's the WaPo links list:

• Kff.org: The Kaiser Family Foundation Web site has a lot of thorough information. To get started, under "New & Noteworthy," click on "summary of the law" for a good synopsis, and on "timeline" to see when various provisions of the law are scheduled to kick in.
• Familiesusa.org: Families USA is a nonprofit advocacy organization for health-care consumers. Click on the link to "Health Reform Central" to see just about everything you need to know about the new law. To get a recap of the major changes, click on the link that begins "Help is on the way" on the homepage.
• Healthinsuranceproviders.com: Click on "Health Care Reform" to see a timeline that's less descriptive than Kaiser's, but easier to grasp visually. The site belongs to an online insurance broker; if you're looking for health insurance, be sure to shop around other sites and brokers.
• Whitehouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections: This is straight from the Obama administration. Keep in mind, it helped write the law. Tune out the superlatives and compare the information with the facts from advocacy groups such as Medicare Rights Center.
• Consumerreports.org/health: From Consumer Reports, a range of useful information. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on "Health-care reform."
• Bankrate.com: From a Web site where borrowers hunt for low mortgage rates and savers look for high-interest CDs, there's a summary with a good focus on costs. Type "reform" into the search box, and click on "What's in it for you."
• Marchofdimes.com: The March of Dimes summarizes key new provisions for women and children. Click on "In the news."
• Medicarerights.org: The Medicare Rights Center summarizes key new provisions for seniors; click on the big bos that says 'learn more about health reform and Medicare.'

Comments

[Scott De Long]

It is great to see the care providers getting behind the legislation, in order for a free market system to work properly they cannot be compelled to work for free. If we believe the goverments role is health education and welfare of its citizens, why our our citizens so afraid of the health piece of that equation.

[Jhanella]

Understanding is not enough to feel better... the benefits has to be felt especially for those who are less fortunate in life. We all know that our health is our most valuable asset and the tragedy of illness or injury should not be compounded by not having a proper health care.

[ugg boots]

We must take change by the hand or rest assuredly, change will take us by the throat