On September 23, 2010, six months after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, several important consumer protections took effect. (To find out when these protections affect your plan, see the note at the bottom of this page.) A booklet describing many of these rights and protections is also available (pdf).
Getting Specific: Tools and Fact Sheets on Specific Protections
Helping Seniors and People with Disabilities (Families USA)
Medicare Cost Savings in the Affordable Care Act | Talking Points (Families USA)
Help for Those Who Need Long-Term Care (Families USA)
Pre-Existing Conditions (Families USA)
Annual and Lifetime Limits (Families USA)
Right to Appeal Health Plan Decisions (Families USA)
Right to Choose Your Doctor (Families USA)
Fair Treatment When You Need Emergency Care (Families USA)
Your Policy Can't Be Canceled Unfairly (Families USA)
Access to Preventive Services (Families USA)
Stand Up for Health Care's Virtual Patient lets you scroll over body parts to find out how the new law can help you (Families USA)
Materials Prepared for the First Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (Families USA)
Expanding Coverage for Young Adults
Getting Covered: A Young Person's Guide to Health Insurance (U.S. PIRG in partnership with Families USA)
Insurance for Young Adults up to 26! (version for young adults) (Young Invincibles)
Insurance for Young Adults up to 26! (for their parents) (Young Invincibles)
Health Coverage for Young Adults (Families USA)
State fact sheets on impact of dependent coverage in all 50 states (Young Invincibles)
Video series on how the new law affects real people (American Heart Association)
Video of young adults who will benefit from the new law (Campaign for Better Health Care, Illinois). Great use of consumer stories.
The Big Picture: Overview Resources
How the New Health Care Law Helps YOU (adapted by Families USA from a flyer by the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York)
Posters from the National Physicians Alliance Foundation featuring stories of people who will benefit from provisions in the Affordable Care Act including pre-existing conditions, preventive care at no cost, small business tax credits and more.
Is the Affordable Care Act Helping in Your Community? (Community Catalyst)
Health Reform Hits Main Street, a 9-minute animated video narrated by Cokie Roberts (Kaiser Family Foundation)
September 23 Health Care Reforms: Making Insurance Work for Children and Families (Georgetown Center for Children and Families)
Podcast: This Week's Health Care Milestone (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
September 23: An Important Day for Women's Health (National Women's Law Center)
Health Reform in Action: 50 States, 50 Stories (The White House)
Spread the Word to Your Community
Sharing Across the States: Strategies for Public Education (Families USA)
Implementing the Health Law—Personal Stories (Herndon Alliance)
Organizations and Resources for More Information
U.S. PIRG
Young Invincibles
Getting Covered
Consumer Reports Health.org
Community Catalyst
Public Policy and Education Fund of New York
National Physicians Alliance
Herndon Alliance
Health Reform Central
www.healthcare.gov
NOTE: These new protections take effect whenever an insurer's plan year starts again on or after September 23, 2010. Some of them apply only to newly sold plans, not plans that were already in effect on or before the day the health care law passed (March 23, 2010). For full information, see the Families USA fact sheets above and the fact sheet on Grandfathered Plans.
