Health Reform Turns 3 Years Old

Three years ago this weekend, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.

The next big deadline is Oct. 1, when states are supposed to have the new health insurance marketplaces, called exchanges, up and running...

In the past, many insurers would exclude these sickest people whenever possible, even kicking some off the rolls when they started to cost too much. “Obamacare”, as even the administration now calls it, stops this. Starting in 2014, new policies may not cap coverage and they have to take all comers, even if they are already sick.

... by the way, lawmakers are going to get a taste of what the rest of the country is feeling. The law requires that starting in 2014, members of Congress and many of their staffers will have to buy their health insurance on the exchanges, unless they’re over 65 and on Medicare.