Labor & Employment Law

HHS Launches ?Helpdesk? for New Health Care Reform Law

By Mike Hall

If you have any questions about the new health care reform law?from ?What are my health insurance options?? to ?How do I get coverage with a pre-existing condition???HealthCare.gov is the place to go. Think of it as the nation?s ?Helpdesk? for health care decisions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the just-launched website helps consumers

take control of their health care and make the choices that are right for them, by putting the power of information at their fingertips. HealthCare.gov makes it easy for consumers and small businesses to compare health insurance plans in both the public and the private sector and find other important health care information.

Here are just a few examples of what you?ll find on HealthCare.gov:

• Data for more than 1,000 insurance carriers and 5,561 availble health care policies (2,030 in the individual health insurance market and 3,531 in the small employer health insurance market).
• Information on every Medicaid and Children?s Health Insurance Program in the country.
• Information on the Pre-Existing Condition Plan in every state.
• Billions of choices. Answer a few basic questions, and the site?s insurance finder automatically sorts through a huge catalog of public and private coverage options to help you identify those right for you (with billions of potential personal scenarios supported).

It also provides information on prevention and how to stay healthy; comparisons of health care providers and quality care; steps to fully implementing the new health care reform law and special sections for families with children, individuals, people with disabilities, seniors, young adults and employers.

HealthCare.gov will continue to add information. In October, price estimates for health insurance plans will be available online. New information on preventing disease and illness and improving the quality of health care for all Americans will also be posted in coming weeks.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on July 02, 2010 (boomark / email).