Health Care Reform > Final Law, Bazelon Analyses, and Other Resources

Final Law and Official Government Resource Websites on Health Care Reform

Consolidated Law Text
HealthCare.gov: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has established a new on-line tool that will connect consumers to new information and resources that will help them to access quality, affordable health care coverage. Consumers can obtain information about options tailored to their unique circumstances and local community. The website will connect consumers to quality rankings for local health care providers as well as preventive services. Follow healthcare.gov's Facebook page, as well.
Benefits.gov is the official benefits website of the U.S. federal government, offering personalized access to information about federal and state government benefits, including health care, income support and housing assistance.
Medicaid.gov: The Medicaid program will remain the most important funding source for the services needed by individuals with low incomes who have serious mental illnesses. Medicaid.gov is the official U.S. federal government website offering information on Medicaid policies and programs.

Bazelon Center Analyses of Final Health Care Reform Law

Bazelon Center Reports on Health Care Reform

The Affordable Care Act at Year Two
How Will Health Reform Help People with Mental Illnesses?
If I Have a Mental Illness, Will Health Reform Help Me?
Medicaid: Lifeline for Children and Adults with Mental Illnesses
How Health Reform Will Help Children with Mental Health Needs
Medicaid Policy Options for Meeting the Needs of Adults with Mental Illness under the Affordable Care Act: Examines the salient issues raised in a November 2010 roundtable discussion of national and state experts convened by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, in partnership with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, to discuss Medicaid policy options available under health reform to help meet the needs of adults with mental illnesses. The discussion was part of an ongoing series of Health Reform Roundtables that explore key issues related to implementing the expansion of Medicaid under health reform.
The New Health Care Reform Act and Medicaid: New Opportunities for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, by Allison Wishon Siegwarth and Chris Koyanagi, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 2011, Vol. 34, No. 4 (available by subscription or purchase).

* Updated Bazelon Center Documents: If you downloaded or purchased Bazelon Center documents about Medicaid prior to September 2010, you will want to download the relevant update:

Update on Medicaid for Adults (7/2010)
Update on Medicaid for Children (7/2010)

Other Affordable Care Act Resources

Kaiser Family Foundation Resources on Health Care Reform
Kaiser Implementation Timeline
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Health Reform Resources
Families USA Health Reform Central
Families USA Fact Sheet: States Are Benefiting from Provisions of the Affordable Care Act. This fact sheet lists the number of people in each state who are already benefiting from each of five provisions. The provisions include measures that are helping small businesses provide coverage to their workers, helping seniors get free preventive care, and protecting children with pre-existing conditions. | Table (March 2011)
First Focus Report: Net Effects of the Affordable Care Act on State Budgets: This recent report highlights potential Medicaid savings resulting from the Affordable Care Act and assesses how state budgets will fare as a result of the health reform legislation. The December 2010 report, commissioned by First Focus and authored by researchers at the Urban Institute, reveals that states could reap significant budget savings as a result of the health reform legislation passed earlier this year. The analysis came as Congress was considering full repeal of the health reform legislation and as states are threatening to significantly cut or even eliminate their Medicaid programs because of budget woes. The report’s findings shed new light on potential savings for state Medicaid budgets which, even in a worst-case scenario, would outweigh costs associated with the health reform law. Findings from the report include:
- State savings could range between $40.6 billion to as high as $131.6 billion during 2014-2019.
- By eliminating optional Medicaid coverage for adults over 133 percent of FPL, thus shifting them to federally-funded subsidies in the exchange, states can save between $21.3 billion and $28.2 billion.
- By replacing state and local spending on uncompensated care with federal Medicaid dollars, states and localities can save between $42.6 billion and $85.1 billion.