Two thousand-plus pages … that’s a lot of law. So no one would blame you for not reading the healthcare reform law word for word. And if you didn’t, here are some things you probably don’t know it requires.
After poring over the reform law, Kaiser Health News recently posted a list of 10 provisions it says have flown under the public’s radar.
Here are the top five from Kaiser’s list:
1. Postpartum depression services
Obamacare authorized millions to go toward providing services to women at risk of suffering from postpartum depression from 2010 through 2012. It also urges the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct a study into the causes and effects of postpartum depression.
2. Abstinence education
Kaiser’s reporting the healthcare reform law reinstated federal funding (which expired in 2003) for states to provide abstinence education programs to students through 2014.
3. Wheelchair payments
The reform law also revised Medicare payment rules for powered wheelchairs. It made it so that only wheelchairs classified as “complex” and “rehabilitative” can be purchased under Medicare. All other wheelchairs must be rented.
4. Oral healthcare education
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been instructed to conduct a five-year national public education campaign to promote measures that are good for oral health, like dental sealants and adding fluoride to community water systems.
5. Breastfeeding breaks
All employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with more than 50 workers are now required to provide breaks during which nursing mothers can express breast milk to take home for their child. Employers must also provide a private room in which mothers can do this. Employers with 49 or fewer employees are exempt from the rule if it would “impose an undue hardship” by causing the employers significant difficulty or expense. But employers are not required to pay workers during these breaks.
(Note: See our more detailed breakdown of the breastfeeding break rule.)
Info: Click over to Kaiser Health News to view provisions six through 10 on its list.
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