Health Care Reform Resources

Understanding health care reform is no easy task. These resources can help. This list is admittedly arbitrary and subject to change. Many of these resources were suggested by readers. If you’d like to nominate a resource simply leave a link to the site or tool in the comments section, below.

For brokers, the best single source of information on health care reform is available through the National Association of Health Underwriters. Membership in NAHU is required to access this material, but not only is membership well worth the investment, it is critical for any broker concerned with the future of their profession.

Just the Facts: Analysis and opinions have their place (in the next sections, actually), but sometimes what’s needed is source material:

• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is really two bills: HR 3590, which was the Senate’s version of health care reform, and HR 4872 the reconciliation bill that enabled the White House and the House of Representatives to refine the final product.
• The IRS offers answers concerning the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit.
• The Department of Health and Human Services has published health care reform regulations on issues including: coverage for children under 19; grandfathered health plans, and the Patient’s Bill of Rights.
• HHS also offers answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the PPACA.
• The Kaiser Family Foundation offers a timelines showing when provisions of the PPACA take effect. The Commonwealth Fund also has a useful health care reform timeline.
• The “official” source for information about health care reform is at HealthCare.gov.
• Chris Conover’s blog, U.S. Health Policy Gateway section on the PPACA delivers on its promise to provide “a comprehensive listing of organizations whose mission relates in some way or importantly affects health policy.” 

News: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will evolve over time. Some news outlets worth following to see what’s happening include:

• The Hill’s Healthwatch Blog often has stories first and is a great source for inside-the-beltway information.
• If anyone scoops The Hill, it’s most likely going to be Politico Pulse, a reliable source concerning the politics of health care reform.
• The New York Times offers a health care reform section.
• Kaiser Health News also has a health reform section, perhaps the most complete one around..
• Reuters has a health care reform section, too.
• Separating fact from fiction is hard, and there’s plenty of both when the topic is health care reform. Check out the St. Petersburg Times’ PolitiFact.com to get the straight scoop – use to the key words “Health Care Reform”
• The AHLAlerts: American Health Line’s Blog, published by American Health Line, is a source for daily updates on health care reform developments with a smattering of opinion pieces thrown in to spice things up.

 Analysis and Opinion: Here’s some folks who may help you make sense of all this health care reform news:

• The Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Source is a good starting point with links to other resources and useful tools.
• America’s Healthcare, offered by the Health Information Center and the Health Information Campaign helps explain aspects of the PPACA.
• HealthAffairs is a highly regarded source for news, analysis and opinion on health care and health care reform
• The California HealthCare Foundation provides insight useful both within and beyond the Golden State
• The Incidental Economist blog takes a no-nonesense view of health care reform and its economic impact. Better still, its economics even a non-economist can understand.
• Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review is a blog run by Bob Laszewski. He has an informed take on the politics and policy behind health care reform.

 Tools: Brokers not only have to understand the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, they have the added responsibility to make sense of it to their prospects and clients. Here’s some tools that may help:

• The Health Reform Subsidy Calculator from Kaiser Family Foundation estimates the size of the premium subsidy an individual purchasing through the exchange
• The Word & Brown Companies offer an easy to understand guide to health reform for employers
• Anthem offers interactive tools helping businesses determine if they’re eligible for the small business tax credit and another for employers and consumers deciding if they should “grandfather” their health plan.
• Tom’s Inflation Calculator answers the question: what would be today’s equivalent of that $500 deductible so popular in 1987? ($1,536 using on Medical Cost Inflation; $977 based on general inflation).
• UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey provides in-depth data about public and private health care coverage in California. And lots more. This is the source used by lawmakers. Registration is required, but is free.
• The Health Care Options Matrix, offered by the Foundation for Health Coverage Education provides a great overview of public and private coverage options on a state-by-state basis.

 Other Sites: These were recommended by various folks as worthwhile resources for health care, health care reform, and related topics. They reflect perspectives from across the political spectrum:

• The National Academy for State Health Policy
• Reform Junction
• The Health Care Blog
• Wright on Health