The recession has had an impact on each of our lives with inflation of necessities like food, energy, and health care and insurance. Some have also experienced the devastation of unemployment, bankruptcy and foreclosure.

Many of us have realized that, due to this economy, we’re just an accident, an illness, or a pink slip away from medical and/or financial disaster. And some of us can no longer afford to seek health care when we know we should.

It’s no surprise, then, that literally millions are so thankful that the President, Congress and Supreme Court have given us the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka “Obamacare” (I’m really starting to like that nickname).

Fifty million is the ballpark number of uninsured Americans today.

Thirty million is the ballpark number of Americans ACA is projected to provide health care to by 2019, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Washington’s uninsured number is nearly 1.1 million, according to insurance statistics. ACA is projected to benefit 74 percent of those uninsured (more than 800,000) beginning in 2014.

Kitsap’s uninsured number (younger than 65) is more than 33,000. ACA is projected to benefit 82 percent of those (more than 27,000) in 2014.

It’s not surprising, however, that most of us understand little about the law. For one thing, it’s been going through the approval gauntlet since 2009. Many concessions and changes have complicated the law on its journey to get passed and to the people. The final law is far from perfect.

Another reason ACA is complicated is because it happens gradually over a period of years, ending in 2020. Very simply, ACA does many things for many different people who need it.

Some basic ACA health insurance reforms already in place:
— Pre-Existing Conditions. Children can no longer be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Adults with pre-existing conditions, until 2014, may get help finding coverage by contacting the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (www.pcip.gov).

— Preventative Care. Free primary care visit to plan preventative care services, without co-pays or deductibles.

— Women. Preventative women’s care is free, no copayment, coinsurance or deductible. Services include mammograms, screenings for cervical cancer, contraception, HPV testing and domestic violence counseling.

— Seniors. No co-pays or deductibles for many preventative treatments such as vaccinations by physicians, diagnostic tests and screenings. Medicare benefits stay the same.

— “Donut Hole.” After spending a certain amount on prescriptions, seniors receive $250 toward closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap in their coverages. Next year half of the coverage gap will be covered, and by 2020 it will be closed completely.

— Young Adults. Parents may keep their children on their family plan until they are 26.

— Lifetime Caps. No lifetime or annual caps may be put on coverages.

Some basic health insurance reforms beginning in 2014:
— Pre-Existing Condition. Adults may not be denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions, or be charged more because of medical history.

— Medicaid. Expansion of Medicaid will occur for low-income residents younger than 65 with certain income levels.

— Insurance Companies. Insurers must spend no less than 85 cents on every dollar toward actual medical care. If more than 15 percent is spent on administrative costs or profits, customers must receive rebates.

— Health Insurance Exchanges. New groups will be set up to create organized and competitive markets for acquiring health insurance.

— Mandate/Penalty. The Supreme Court did not allow the individual mandate, but the penalty for not carrying insurance remains. One percent of the population is projected to end up paying any penalty, and it maxes out at one percent of one’s income.

— Tax Credits. Insurance premium tax credits are subsidies available to those who used the Health Insurance Exchanges to purchase insurance and who have a determined low income level.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of implementing ACA “is about only a third of the cost of tax cuts, overwhelmingly favoring the wealthy, that Mitt Romney is proposing over the same period,” writes the New York Times’ Paul Krugman. “True, Mr. Romney says that he would offset that cost, but he has failed to provide any plausible explanation of how he’d do that. The Affordable Care Act, by contrast, is fully paid for, with an explicit combination of tax increases and spending cuts elsewhere. So the law that the Supreme Court upheld is an act of human decency that is also fiscally responsible.”

We’ll each need to take some time to look into the law and see how it’s able to help us individually. Your insurance provider should already have notified you regarding what has gone into place. Another good resource to start with is www.whitehouse.gov.

— Contact Marylin Olds at marylin.olds@gmail.com.