Jennifer Granholm and Ann O’Leary, director of the Children and Families Program at the Center for the Next Generation in San Francisco and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, break down what Americans need to know about the state of health care reform and upcoming changes to services. With 49 million people uninsured, the new laws will provide – among other benefits – more low-income people access to existing health programs and will give more coverage options to middle-income people, including a “health exchange.” Additional consumer protection services have already begun, providing 2.5 million more young people with insurance: “You should not deny coverage to children who have pre-existing conditions, so already we’re saying that they must be covered,” says O’Leary.
