Featured Online Resource: Healthcare.gov

October 1, 2013 is an important date for individuals and families in need of affordable health insurance.  This is the date Open Enrollment begins for the Health Insurance Marketplace, as mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as "Obamacare").

The Federal government has created HealthCare.gov help citizens understand more about the law and steps that can be taken to sign up for affordable health insurance.

This does depend on the state that you live in.  Some states, such as Maryland have created their own web sites for open enrollment.  Maryland's web site is called Maryland Health Connection).  Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia do not have their own open enrollment marketplace, and so residents of these states would use HealthCare.gov.  To learn about marketplaces for other states, check this link.

Even if you will not be signing up for health insurance, the web site has additional information about the law and how it has affected health care and health insurance.  Please take the time to brush up on your health care options, and share this information with family and friends.

Gallup Poll shows Americans Support Healthcare Reform

A Gallup Poll published today shows that by a slim margin, American adults support the recently-passed bundle of reforms to the nation's healthcare industry. 46% of those identifying themselves as "Independents" call the legislation a "good thing" while 45% call it a "bad thing."

How Health Care Reform Affects Higher Education

The historic health care legislation passed by the House of Representatives this week not only means sweeping health care reform but also revamps the federal student loan program.

In short, the bill, attached to the health care legislation, "would end government payments to private, commercial student lenders, leaving the government to lend directly to students. It would also redirect billions of dollars to expand the Pell grant program for low-income students, and to pay for other education initiatives."

To fully understand the impacts of the bill on student lending, please explore these links.

From The Washington Post: "Obama's student loan plan moving forward with health bill"

From The New York Times: "Deal Gives New Life to Overhaul of Student Loans"

From National Public Radio: "Health Care Reform Could Revamp Student Lending"

From GoCollege.com (higher education blog): "With Health Care Vote, Congress Puts an End to FFEL Student Loan Program"

Health Care Reform Media Roundup

In the wake of the passage by Congress of the much-debated and historical health care reform bill, here's a quick rundown of the breadth of coverage in the last few hours:

CSPAN healthcare hub: includes links to streaming video from CSPAN-3: Speaker Pelosi's press briefing, the House vote on the bill and reconciliation, House floor debate, President Obama's remarks, and comments from Senator McCain; in text, the vote tally and text of the bill

NYTimes news analysis: David Sanger worries about the consequences of the passage of this major legislation without a single Republican vote

Fox News: reports on brewing legal challenges to the law

The Washington Post: discusses the logistics of what will happen next, including President Obama's signing ceremony tomorrow. This article was posted at 2:20 today.

Full text of the health care reform bill

The historic H.R. 3962, the bill to reform healthcare insurance was passed by The House of Representatives, having already passed the Senate. Click the link above for the entire text of the bill, made available by the Government Printing Office at www.gpoaccess.gov.