HealthCare reform that President Barack Obama promised has now been signed into law and will be known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: H.R. 3590. Along with this signage comes about 2,000 pages worth of reading, so for those of you who enjoy reading, you’re in luck!!
There has been so much debate and time dedicated to covering the details of getting this Bill signed into Law. I’ve spoken to some of my friends who have tuned out of the HealthCare reform debate. Some mention being overwhelmed by the amount of media coverage, the grandstanding, the conflicting details, everyone’s woeful impression of what will happen to America if this Bill passed and more. (Hey, it’s America, we go through important processes like these and the media covers it in detail :-)
More of the intimate parts of how we will live with this Bill became “lost in coverage”. Just like my friends, I found myself lost in translation…trying to figure out how this Bill would affect the HR community and me personally. Well, we can breathe a short sigh of relief. Now that its finalized, we can now begin to dissect and understand it a little better.
To learn more about how you will be affected, please see the 3 links below...
Read about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) here: Go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3590: Then, click on Text of Legislation
“H.R. 3590 is divided into 10 titles. The bill contains provisions that will go into effect immediately, on June 21, 2010 (90 days after enactment); on September 23, 2010 (six months after enactment); and provisions that will go into effect in 2014.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act)
The HealthCare tool: This is from the Washington Post and allows you to calculate how the Bill will impact your life based on income, age, location and family size.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/healthcaretool
The new law and you: 4 scenarios, by Michelle Singletary of The Washington Post: I found a great article, written by Michelle Singletary of the Washington Post, that I thought I would share. Michelle provides commentary on what will affect us now. Some scenarios in her article… you are (1) married and have insurance already with your employer; (2) single and unemployed; (3) under 26 and just out of college with no insurance or (4) covered through your employer making over $200,000 or $250,000 married and filing jointly.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032605598.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns
As always, prioritze, set boundaries, and live!
