The Affordable Care Act and Your Community
In March of 2010 President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act), which fixes what is broken by making improvements in four key areas:
- It ends the worst insurance company abuses;
- It makes health insurance more affordable;
- It strengthens Medicare;
- It provides better options for coverage.
Our families, communities and congregations now have the freedom from worrying about unfairly losing their insurance, or having it run out due to a lifetime limit if they or a loved one are in an accident or become sick.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, “Faith leaders are trusted partners in local communities. You have a unique ability to reach people, especially the most vulnerable, with the tools and information they need to get healthy, stay well, and thrive.”
This section of our website provides information to help you understand and share with others what the Affordable Care Act means for you, your family and your community, including the most vulnerable and in need of health care.
The Health Care Law 101 Webinar Schedule
The HHS Partnership Center hosts a series of interactive webinars for you to learn more about the main provisions of the health care law that are currently in place and the parts of the law that will go into effect starting in October 2013 with enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Educational Materials
Educational presentations on the health care law, including an online video explaining the main parts of the law, can be found here: www.healthcare.gov/news/brochures. Fact sheets, testimonial videos and other resources can be found here as well. Information in Spanish can be found at www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov.
Links for More Information
Frequently Asked Questions on the Affordable Care Act can be found at:
http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/factsheets/index.html
http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/regulations/index.html
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform/
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Affordable-Care-Act-Tax-Provisions
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision
News and Information
The Affordable Care Act is being implemented incrementally, in sections over time. News releases, blog posts and MyCare videos summarize major provisions of the law and can be found here: www.healthcare.gov/news.