From Whitehouse.gov
President Obama explains HealthCare.gov, the new consumer website that helps you take control of your health care coverage. This first-of-its-kind website makes it easier to find health care coverage and clearly explains how the Affordable Care Act will benefit you, your family, or your business.
With all the confusion and just plain wrong information coupled with out right lies about what healthcare reform really means, this is a welcome addition to the wealth of information on line from our President.
It is a pretty comprehensive site and answers a lot of questions. I think one of the most helpful things is the timeline for change. What's Changing and When. What might surprise people is the number of changes just this year and the good things going into effect today.
Providing Small Business Health Insurance Tax Credits
Effective Jan. 1, 2010
Allowing States to Cover More People on Medicaid
Effective April 1, 2010
Relief for Four Million Seniors Who Hit the Medicare Prescription Drug “Donut Hole”
First checks mailed June, 2010
Cracking Down on Health Care Fraud
Many provisions effective now
Expanding Coverage for Early Retirees
Applications for employers to participate in the program available June 1, 2010. Learn more about the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program.
Providing Access to Insurance for Uninsured Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions
National program established July 1, 2010
Putting Information Online
Effective July 1, 2010
Extending Coverage for Young Adults
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010.
Providing Free Preventive Care
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010
Prohibiting Insurance Companies from Rescinding Coverage
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010
Appealing Insurance Company Decisions
Effective for new plans beginning on or after September 23, 2010
Eliminating Lifetime Limits on Insurance Coverage
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010
Regulating Annual Limits on Insurance Coverage
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010
Prohibiting Denying Coverage of Children Based on Pre-Existing Conditions
Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010 for new plans and existing group plans.
Holding Insurance Companies Accountable for Unreasonable Rate Hikes
Grants will be awarded beginning in 2010
Rebuilding the Primary Care Workforce
Effective 2010
Preventing Disease and Illness
Funding begins in 2010
Strengthening Community Health Centers
Effective 2010
Payments for Rural Health Care Providers
Effective 2010
Another thing I really like is a comparison between hospitals in your area. Not just in quality of food mind you but important things like mammograms, which hospitals ordered follow up appointments.
Outpatients who had a follow-up mammogram or ultrasound within 45 days after a screening mammogram. (A number that is much lower than 8% may mean there’s not enough follow-up. A number much higher than 14% may mean there’s too much unnecessary follow-up.)
The three hospitals in my area I compared including the big University Medical Center, scored too low. It goes on to explain in other imaging what is best practices. This is very helpful in finding a hospital that is through without being wasteful.
You can compare mortality rates, process of care and this one is really important. You can pick the illness or condition. It is easy to find the hospital near you doing the best job with heart attacks etc. What it showed me was the hospital who calms to be the premier heart hospital and where my son had his by-pass isn't the best hospital after all. In fact A SMALLISH neighborhood hospital was the best.
I hope everyone here will use Healthcare.gov as a resource.