A guide to health insurance and the Affordable Care Act for consumers. This book describes the health reform provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including essential health benefits, the health care exchanges, and premium subsidies available for certain individuals. The book also describes the main features of health insurance plans in the U.S., including characteristics of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and typical cost-sharing mechanisms, including deductibles, coinsurance and copayments. Practical examples of the operation of deductibles, coinsurance and copayments are provided.


Patricia D. King is a health care attorney practicing in the Chicago area. Pat has over 30 years of experience in health law, including representation of health care providers and provider-sponsored insurance entities. She is a Vice Chair of the Health Information and Technology Practice Group of the American Health Lawyers Association, and a member of the Legal Task Force of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Pat is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.