To celebrate the six-month anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, the White House has launched a new Web site that includes stories from every state on the positive impact of healthcare reform.
According to a White House blog, visitors to the Web site can also listen to stories from people who say they are benefitting from the new law.
"The six-month anniversary marks a major milestone for our healthcare system," the White House statement said.
The Obama administration has also issued a new Patient's Bill of Rights, which:
- Bans discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions;
- Allows young adults to remain on their parents' health plan until their 26th birthday;
- Prohibits insurance companies from cutting off coverage if a mistake was made on the application;
- Prohibits insurance companies from putting a lifetime limit on the amount of coverage a beneficiary may receive and restricts the use of annual limits until they are banned completely in 2014;
The Bill of Rights also calls for:
- Patients' rights to choose their own doctor in their insurer network;
- A ban on insurers charging more for emergency services obtained outside of their network;
- The right to appeal insurance company decisions to an independent third party;
- The right to receive recommended preventive care with no out-of-pocket cost;
"The enactment of the Patient's Bill of Rights comes during a week when we've already received good news about the Affordable Care Act and our health insurance premiums," the White House said. "On Monday, Blue Cross Blue Shield announced that, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 215,000 customers will receive refunds totaling $155.8 million. Tuesday brought more good news when the Department of Health and Human Services announced that, on average, premiums for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage would go down, while enrollment in the program is expected to increase."
Newt Gingrich, former Republican House Speaker and founder of Center for Health Transformation, also launched a Web site this week. He said his site will show "the real facts" about the Affordable Care Act.
"If you want to know what this means for you, this is the site where you can cut through red tape to get the answers," Gingrich said. "No government jargon. No painful, twisted bureaucratic explanations. Just the facts. Pure and simple."