Congressman Sander Levin

Health Care Hub

On March 23, President Obama signed into law comprehensive health care reform legislation. As I said during the debate on the bill, “We come to the floor for thousands of votes each year, but no single vote comes with so many personal stories standing behind it.” This legislation is based on the work of generations of Americans, and was driven by the experiences of so many who have struggled with rising health care costs and suffered from a lack of health insurance.

Under the new law – for the first time in America’s history – all Americans will have access to quality, affordable health coverage. The new health care reform law builds on our employer-based, private health care system, reins in insurance company abuses, improves Medicare, and provides more affordable options for small businesses and individuals without insurance.

Key provisions starting this year:

Many of the benefits of the health care reform law will go into effect in the next few months. Below is a chart of the major reforms starting this year.

• Full list of immediate benefits
• Full timeline of health care reform implementation

How Health Care Reform Will Impact You

Now that health care reform has passed, many Americans and Michiganders are asking, “How will health care reform impact me?” If you currently receive insurance through an employer, that coverage will continue for the vast majority of Americans. If you are a small business owner, self-employed, or uninsured, you will have the option beginning in 2014 to purchase insurance through new state-based health insurance exchanges. Plans in the exchanges will not be allowed to discriminate based on pre-existing conditions and will instead have to compete only based on price and quality. Small business owners and people with income below a certain level will get a tax credit they can apply to any of the plans in the exchange. If you are on Medicare, you will have the same benefits in traditional Medicare you have now, and some added benefits.

• Chart of how health care reform will impact different individuals and families

Health Care Reform and Seniors

The health care reform legislation signed into law maintains all benefits in traditional Medicare and adds additional benefits such as lower prescription drug costs and the elimination of co-payments for preventive services.

• More on how health care reform improves Medicare

Health Care Reform and Small Businesses

All small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are completely exempt from any requirements to offer coverage under the reform legislation. However, if a small business currently offers coverage or chooses to offer coverage in the future, it will be eligible for new tax credits to pay up to 35% of the cost of coverage starting this year, and for tax credits of up to 50% of the cost starting in 2014.

• More on how health care reform assists small businesses

Additional Information

• Full Text of the Health Care Reform Legislation and the Reconciliation Changes
• Section by Section Summary of the Health Care Reform Legislation and the Reconciliation Changes
• Health Insurance Exchanges
• Full List of Insurance Market Reforms
• Revenue Provisions
• Congressional Budget Office analysis of the reform legislation
  

(Updated April 15, 2010)