Lesser Known Health Care Bill Reforms

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The health care bill that became law in late March is packed with major reforms. There’s an individual mandate, a system of exchanges, new government subsidies and a ban on some of the practices in the insurance industry.

Discussed by Emily Badger at Alternet, below are some of the less discussed items included in the bill. See some other ideas about healthcare reform at home here.

Menu Labeling - In an attempt to curb our nation’s growing waistlines and health problems, the Health Care Bill has included a clause for menu labeling. The legislation mandates that national chains with at least 20 restaurants must post “nutrient content disclosure statements.” Menus will also have to mention your suggested daily caloric intake. See a related article here.
Gift Disclosure – The bill contains key elements of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, a previously bipartisan idea calling for pharmaceutical reps and device manufacturers to disclose all the gifts they give doctors. This includes money, gifts, food, travel, entertainment, grants, just about anything that may constitute a conflict of interest.
Time and place for breastfeeding – Workplaces will have to provide break time and a private location, not including the bathroom, for breastfeeding mothers to pump breast milk for one year after the birth of a child.
Postpartum depression – The bill discusses postpartum depression and the implications for expanded funding, worker training, public education and research. The National Institute of Mental Health is due to conduct a national longitudinal study of women with postpartum depression, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services must produce a study on the benefits of PPD screening.
10% excise tax on indoor tanning services – Starting July 1 of this year, people who enjoy tanning at salons will have to pay a little more.
Tax credit for adoption – Beginning with your 2010 taxes, the federal adoption credit goes up by $1,000 to $13,170 per child and now becomes refundable.
American Indian Health – The bill includes some of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, a goal of organizations who point out American Indians have the worst health disparities of any minority group in the U.S., particularly dealing with suicide, alcoholism and tuberculosis. The law increases funding and support on tribal lands for several issues.
Healthcare workers background checks – Aimed at protecting seniors in nursing homes, the bill introduces a national system for conducting criminal background checks of prospective health care workers who would deal directly with patients in long-term care facilities or private homes.
Abstinence-only education – This sex-ed technique that urges students to wait until marriage is debated by researchers over its effectiveness, but the health care bill allocates $250 million over five years for these programs.
W-2 tax paperwork – The W-2 you receive from your employer will include the cost of employer-provided health care you probably have not quantified before.