Understanding federal health reform
With the recent passage of historic health reform legislation, the President and Congress have ushered in a new era for health care consumers, providers, hospitals, insurance companies, and other important stakeholders. As an academic medical center, the University of Kansas Medical Center’s mission is to promote health through excellence in education, research, and patient care, all of which are affected by the change in law. In addition, as the only academic medical center in our state, KU Medical Center offers a unique and targeted perspective as health reform moves from the legislative phase to the implementation phase.
Collected on this Web page are several resources that outline the effect of health care reform, including a list of valuable links that provide information on specific issues within the new law. Our goal is to provide a credible source of timely and accurate information to the community about the impact of federal health reform on our state and region.
Summary of health reform
- Peter Bohan Lecture, Federal Health Reform and What It Means To You
- Short summary of health reform's impact
- Congressional health reform bill summary of H.R. 3590, as amended by the "Reconciliation Act" H.R. 4872
Full consolidated text
of the law - Congressional Budget Office (CBO) health care webpage with cost estimates for health reform
- Kaiser Family Foundation comprehensive Health Reform Source
- Kaiser Family Foundation's 13 page summary of law
and 3 page summary
- Kaiser Family Foundation's Timeline for implementation
- Timely web log on various aspects of health reform
- The Heath Care Foundation of Greater Kansas city reviews aspects of health reform
- Commonwealth Fund provides a comprehensive website for analyzing health reform
State of Kansas
- The Kansas Health Institute has a special section on its Web site about how health care reform impacts Kansas
- Resources for States from the Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Source
Kaiser Family Foundation state-specific resources - National Conference of State Legislatures health reform resources
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's "State Coverage Initiatives" has health reform resources and technical assistance specific to states
- Urban Institute health reform resources
UI report on health reform's affect on states
- The National Academy for State Health Policy health reform brief
on the role that states will play in health reform
Consumers/Patients
- Health reform resources (pdf) from the Kansas Insurance Department
- Consumer Reports has information on the changing health insurance system
- To understand how health reform may impact your family, the Washington Post has a calculator that allows you to enter your specific information
- To see if your family qualifies for a subsidy, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a calculator that allows you to enter specific information
- Information for Kansas consumers from Families USA
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners health reform resources
Students
- Information for Young Adults from the Kaiser Family Foundation
- Information on the extension of dependent coverage
to age 26 - Information on the availability of insurance through the temporary high risk pool
Health care providers
- For a summary of health professions workforce provisions, the National Conference of State Legislatures
has compiled a summary report
- Association of American Medical Colleges support for health reform
AAMC health reform resources - American Medical Association assesses health reform's impact on providers
Researchers
- The Association of American Medical Colleges highlights specific research provisions in the health reform bill in both an issue brief
and a presentation
- The AAMC also specifically addresses Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
and Physician Payment Sunshine Provisions
Business/Employers
- Small Business Administration's assessment of impact on small business
- United States Chamber of Commerce health reform resources
- Resources for Employers from the Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Source

