President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi share a moment after the president signed the health care reform bill. See more Barack Obama pictures.
Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite
In the past year, health care reform legislation was one of the most talked-about subjects in the United States. It was almost impossible to ignore: The president, pundits and protesters put the health care debate front and center. You'd think that after all that talking, everyone would have a good idea about what was in the health care bill that was signed into law in March 2010. However, myths and speculation abound regarding the law's actual contents. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to reform insurance company policies like refusing coverage for pre-existing conditions or imposing lifetime caps on service once someone gets sick. The law also mandates that every individual procure insurance and that every employer provide it. It outlines subsidies and exemptions to these mandates, and it requires each state to set up an insurance exchange for individuals and small businesses to select their coverage. But what do such reforms mean for you? And what else is in the more than 2,000 pages of legislation?
