Health Reform Costs, Benefits Explained in NCPA Consumer's Guide

The first detailed and objective consumer's guide on the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has just been released by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), titled "What Does Health Care Reform Mean To You? A Detailed Analysis"

"The guide does not ignore the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, but it also does not deny the costs," said NCPA President, CEO and Kellye Wright Fellow John C. Goodman. "This is the first unbiased summary of health care reform costs and benefits, and it's a unique resource."

"The consumer's guide answers questions about the coming changes and costs in Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance, employer coverage, and income tax returns," added Goodman.

The research analyzes the costs, benefits and drawbacks of health reform changes, including:

Health insurance requirements and fines for individuals and employers
Expanded health coverage for up to 34 million people
Projected shortages of doctors, nurses and hospitals
Free health plan preventative services
New coverage protections for patients with pre-existing conditions
Reporting family income totals to your employer
Benefit and spending cuts for the elderly and disabled on Medicare
New taxes on private health insurance, drugs, medical devices
Insurance subsidies and changes in coverage options

To educate patients, doctors and all those affected by the new health care law, the NCPA has also produced a shorter version of the guide in a summary pamphlet, also titled "What Does Health Care Reform Mean To You?" The pamphlet is a succinct and unbiased overview of the Affordable Care Act changes, in layman's terms, to help consumers understand what to expect from health care reform.

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA's goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Topics include reforms in health care; Medicare and Social Security;

retirement; taxes; small business policy; and energy and environmental regulation.

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John C. Goodman