On Monday, August 9, 2010, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield; Dr. Luis Padilla, Medical Director at the Upper Cardozo Neighborhood Health Center; and Dr. Andrea Anderson, Assistant Medical Director at the Upper Cardozo Neighborhood Health Center, kick-off Community Health Center Week by participating in a webchat about the importance of community health centers.

You can view it at www.HealthCare.gov

Recent News

August 6: Presidential Proclamation--National Health Center Week, 2010

August 5: HHS Awards $159.1 Million to Support Health Care Workforce Training

August 5: Accelerating Electronic Health Records Adoption and Meaningful Use

August 5: Trustees Announce Solvency of Medicare Trust Fund Extended By 12 Years to 2029

August 2: Enrollment in 340B Program to Provide Affordable Medications Begins for Newly Eligible Safety-Net Health Care Providers

August 2: Affordable Care Act Saving Money for Medicare and Taxpayers

Recent HealthCare Blog Posts

August 5: Saving Money and Giving Seniors Better Care, By Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform

August 2: Saving Money and Giving Seniors Better Benefits, By Stephanie Cutter, Assistant to the President for Special Projects

August 2: Ensuring Women Get the Care They Need and Deserve, By Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Executive Director of the Council on Women and Girls

August 2: On Today’s Ruling in Virginia, By Stephanie Cutter, Assistant to the President for Special Projects

August 2: Webchat on the Importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Medicare and Medicaid, By Henry Claypool, Director of the Office on Disability

August 2: Strengthening Medicare, By Don Berwick, M.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Regulations & Guidance

Regulations and guidance are used to implement many of the Affordable Care Act provisions that address both private and public health insurance.

Regulation on Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Request for Comment on Health Insurance Exchanges (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Regulation on Consumers' Right to Appeal Health Plan Decisions (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Preventive Services: Regulations and Recommendations

Patient’s Bill of Rights (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Regulation on “Grandfathered” Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Dependent Coverage of Children Who Have Not Attained Age 26 (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

Health Care Reform Insurance Web Portal Requirements (Issued by the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight)

COBRA Continuation of Coverage (Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Health Insurance Reform for Consumers (Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Health Insurance Reform for Employers (Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Self-Funded Nonfederal Governmental Plans (Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Temporary High Risk Pool Fact Sheet provides information about the temporary high risk pool program included in the Affordable Care Act and chart outlining potential allocations of high risk pool funds to states.

Beneficiary Information about the $250 Part D Rebate Brochure describes details about the tax-free, one-time check for $250 for people who enter the Part D donut hole and are not eligible for Medicare Extra Help.

Health Insurance Portal Bulletin provides guidance to state Medicaid Directors about the health insurance portal.

Medicare and the New Health Law – What it Means for You. This mailing from CMS outlines key provisions of the Affordable Care Act for people with Medicare as well as members of their families. The mailing is being sent in both English and Spanish.

Letters

Administration officials issue letters requesting information, issuing guidance, announcing progress to date, and other implementation efforts.

Letter from Secretary Sebelius to Governors, Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26, 2010)

Rate Review letter from Secretary Sebelius to Governors and State Insurance Commissioners (June 7, 2010)

Letter from Secretary Sebelius to Hill Leadership outlining HHS’s Progress on Implementation Efforts (May 24, 2010)

State High Risk Pool cover letter from Jay Angoff, Director of the Office of Consumer Information and Oversight (May 10, 2010)

Letter from Secretary Sebelius to NAIC urging the association to provide guidance by June 1 to allow for timely implementation of the law (April 12, 2010)

Grants

The Affordable Care Act creates a number of new grant opportunities. Below, you will find links to the grant centers for the agencies administering these grants. There, and at Grants.gov, you can search for relevant grant opportunities.

OCIIO State Planning and Establishment Grants – search for CFDA number 93.525.

OCIIO Health Insurance Premium Review Grants

Administration for Children and Families Grants

Administration on Aging Grants

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Health Resources and Services Administration Grants

Indian Health Service Grants

National Institutes of Health Grants

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Grants

Brochures

Below you’ll find brochures and materials related to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Patient Protections & Insurance Reforms (pdf)