By: Opella Ernest, M.D.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, is perhaps the most significant change to our nation’s health care system in more than a generation. Here are some of the things about the law that you should know about and what’s in it for you.

Health insurance will become available to millions more Americans. Many who have not been able to get health insurance will now be able to do so. A pre-existing health condition will not prevent you from getting coverage. In addition, government tax credits and subsidies will help many eligible people pay for their health insurance. A new state and federal partnership will operate a Health Insurance Marketplace here in Illinois. This will be the place to shop for and buy a health insurance plan. The enrollment period begins October 1st and runs through March, 2014. If you enroll in a health insurance plan, it becomes effective on January 1, 2014.

The new law also does not change how you choose your own doctor. You will continue to choose your primary care doctor or your pediatrician from any in your health plan’s provider network. And for women, you can see an OB-GYN without another doctor’s referral. The insurance plans offered on the state exchange will include benefits that are considered essential to good health, and these will be included in every insurance plan offered. They are:

• Emergency services
• Prescription drug coverage
• Hospitalization
• Rehabilitative services and devices
• Maternity and newborn care
• Laboratory services
• Mental health and substance abuse
• Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management

When it comes to that last one on the list – preventive services – you will no longer have to pay out-of-pocket for important screenings like mammograms and cholesterol tests

Other important changes from the Affordable Care Act include expansion of the Medicaid program to allow many more people to qualify for services. For those retirees with Medicare Part D, they will get a 50 percent discount on name-brand prescription drugs and a 21 percent discount on generic prescription drugs. Over the next few years, those discounts will continue to go up, to reduce the gaps in pharmacy benefits.

Health insurance and our health care system can indeed be confusing. ObamaCare offers a lot of options to the many Americans who are currently uninsured. Dozens of community partners are working hard to help get the word out about what health care reform is all about. If you’d like more information, visit: www.BeCoveredIllinois.org

Opella Ernest M.D. is Chief Medical Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. She serves as the primary physician representative to assure effective and efficient delivery of quality medical care. Dr. Ernest received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She earned her doctorate from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and interned at St. Joseph Hospital, Chicago Illinois. She completed her residency in family medicine at Providence Hospital, Southfield Michigan.