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"President Obama signed major health care reform, Tuesday, which will insure millions of Americans and change the face of health care in America. But after all the political back and forth, many of us have little understanding of what it all means. For starters, the intention of the plan is to get as many Americans insured as possible. So, by 2014, almost everyone will be required by law to buy insurance or pay a penalty, which will start at $95 or 1 percent of income, whichever is higher, and rise to $695 or 2.5 percent of income in 2016. Those who are exempt, (American Indians, those with religious objections or financial hardship) or people under 30, can buy a policy that only pays for catastrophic medical costs and three primary care visits a year. If you are already insured:  (1)You can keep your current plan or you can buy coverage through new state-run insurance marketplaces, called &amp;quot;exchanges,&amp;quot; starting in 2014. (2) Children will be able to stay on their parents&amp;#039; insurance until 26 years old. (3) Insurers cannot drop a policy to avoid paying medical bills when a person becomes ill. (4) Lifetime limits and annual limits on benefits are prohibited. (5) Families of four with a household income of less than $88,000 whose premiums cost between 8 and 9.8 percent of their income can get tax credits to help pay premiums and deductibles. Or, they can get a voucher from their employer to buy insurance on one of the exchanges. If you are uninsured:  (1) If you are refused coverage because of your health, you can get insurance from a new high-risk pool until 2014 when insurance companies can no longer refuse applicants with pre-existing health problems. (2) If you are a family of four with a household income less than $29,327 you are eligible for Medicaid. (3) If you are not insured by your employer but make more than $29,327 you can apply for insurance through the exchanges. To get more detailed explanations of how the health care bill applies to you there are several sites with graphs and charts, but the important thing to understand is that whether you are insured or not you have affordable options. - Alexandra L. Gekas "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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