Obamacare's Benefits Become Real On New Year's Day [View all]

When the clock strikes midnight for the new year Wednesday, it also will ring in a
new day for the American health care system.

President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law nearly four years ago, and Jan. 1, 2014, culminates a lot of work, strife and anxiety. It also represents the birth of a new health insurance market for individuals who aren't covered by their employers or government programs like Medicare, especially for low-income and uninsured people receiving unprecedented help paying for coverage.

Starting on Wednesday, health insurance companies can't turn away anyone because of their medical histories or pre-existing conditions. Prices can't be higher for people with chronic ailments, or for women, and older individuals can't be charged more than three times what younger customers pay. Basic benefits like hospitalizations, prescription drugs and mental health care must be covered. Annual and lifetime limits to essential coverage are gone. And nearly everyone must obtain health coverage or face a tax penalty under the law's individual mandate.

More than 2.1 million Americans have enrolled in private health insurance plans using the health insurance exchange marketplaces through Dec. 28, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday. In October and November, states reported 3.9 million more signed up for Medicaid, which is expanding to cover more people in 25 states and the District of Columbia, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, although that figure includes people renewing existing benefits. Enrollment surged as the deadline for January coverage, which was Dec. 23 in most states, approached.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/31/obamacare-2014_n_4520670.html