On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The new law promises to insure over 30 million Americans that could not afford or qualify for health insurance.

The legislation includes measures that will expand Medicaid coverage to all persons living below 133% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, gives money to states to create High Risk Pools to insure individuals who have pre-existing conditions and could not get health insurance, and creates exchanges where individuals can purchase health insurance.

Although the expansion of Medicaid and the creation of insurance exchanges will not become mandatory until 2014, the law provides for the immediate creation of high risk pools by states, and also gives states the option of expanding Medicaid eligibility prior to 2014.

At a time when over 1.4 million Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance, CLS welcomes the new legislation and sees it as a positive step in insuring all Americans receive health insurance.

Click on the following links for information on health care reform and comments from CLS on its implementation:

High Risk Pools

Medicaid Expansion

Adult Basic

Executive Order Creating Health Care Reform Implementation