U.S. President Barack Obama has outlined elements of the health-care bill Saturday that are beginning to take effect. "This is what change looks like" six weeks after he signed the legislation Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to highlight some provisions that are already kicking in. The message is part of Obama's post-passage sales job that could prove important to his party's prospects in the November midterm elections. In the address, Obama said 4 million small-business owners and organizations recently received information outlining the potential tax breaks they could receive to help them pay for their employees' health insurance. In just over a month, he said, senior citizens who now fall into what's known as the "doughnut hole" in prescription drug coverage will start receiving $250 rebates to help them afford medication. Obama also spelled out a number of consumer protections designed to prevent insurance companies from dropping ill customers or increasing rates unfairly. He said Monday he would highlight the provision allowing young adults to stay on their parents' policies until they are 26 years old. "We're seeing consumers get a break from unfair rate hikes, patients get the care they need when they need it and young adults get the security of knowing they can start off life with one less cost to worry about," Obama said. "At long last, this is what health-care reform is achieving."
