Gilma Reid is an Advocate in the YWCA’s Health Care Access program. She has spent more than 10 years in the human services field, serving low-income women, men and their families and providing them with access to health care services. Over the next few months, she will be sharing information with us about health care reform, and what it means for different populations.

We are all hearing and talking about health care reform just about everywhere in our daily life: in the media, in hospitals, at work, at family reunions, and sometimes even in our place of worship.

The big question is: What does the law mean for each of us?  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) itself is very long and complicated. Many of us are still confused and need a little help to understand the law and its implications. 

The new law affects everyone who is a US resident, and whether or not you have medical coverage – including Medicare, Medicaid, employer insurance, small businesses, and people who are moderate- or low-income and people who are uninsured.

We are already seeing some parts of the law being implemented.  For example, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage, the creation of temporal coverage for individuals (adults) with pre-existing conditions (High Risk Pools) until 2014, coverage for adult-children until age 26, the gradual termination of Medicare’s “donut hole,” and Medicare’s elimination of copayment for  annual and prevention check-ups.

The new implementation of this law is meant to provide coverage to 40 million Americans without medical insurance.  For the most part, this will be done by expanding  Medicaid or other coverage subsidies for moderate- or low-income individuals and families, or through state insurances exchanges (private insurances plans) for self-employed or others who are currently uninsured.

Over the coming months, we will take a closer look at how the health care law will affect different groups of people and the role of state and federally support health coverage programs. Stay tuned!

-Gilma Reid