The New Health Care Law and You

Older Americans have a lot at stake as the new health care reform package rolls out. Whether you are on Medicare, buy insurance on your own or through your employer, or can’t afford health insurance, new benefits as a result of health insurance reforms will affect you. The law’s new provisions bring a number of benefits to all Americans, including people over 50. The law strengthens Medicare; makes health insurance more accessible and affordable; makes discriminatory insurance practices a thing of the past; and creates new programs to help you get long-term care services in your own home.

By knowing what’s in the law and when the different benefits take effect, you can take advantage of the new provisions for yourself and your family.

AARP has created a host of resources to help you navigate the details of the new law and find out how it will impact you both now and further down the road when it is fully implemented. Find the most up-to-date information at www.aarp.org/getthefacts.
 
The AARP Bulletin has produced an 8-page “User’s Guide to Health Care Reform” that is available online and was mailed to over 24 million homes in the May issue of AARP Bulletin. This special section features must-know details, including changes to Medicare, employer insurance, taxes, and small businesses—all boiled down to the basics of what YOU need to know.

Additionally, AARP has launched a new online resource for people with questions about the new law. The new “Health Care Reform Explained” column—available at www.aarp.org/getthefacts—provides practical answers to questions submitted by visitors. Each week, AARP is answering the top questions about the new health care reform law emailed by readers to HCRquestions@aarp.org.

AARP resources are also available in Spanish at www.aarp.org/viva.