JEFFERSON CITY—State Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors,  today launched a website devoted to information on health reform under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on her official Senate Web page. The site guides citizens through the provisions of the ACA and how those changes in federal law benefit Missourians.

A key part of the ACA involves each state, or the federal government, establishing an insurance marketplace. There, citizens can see a variety of different insurance plans and find one that best fits their budget. Every plan offers comprehensive coverage.

Senator Walsh’s resource website walks citizens through the process of enrolling in the marketplace and finding a plan. She said she hopes the resource page can better inform the public of what exactly the ACA does and how it benefits them.

“There has been so much misinformation spread, and scare tactics used, that a huge majority of the population has no idea how the Affordable Care Act helps them and their families. This law was designed, at its core, to protect average, middle-class Americans from predatory insurance practices and expand health care coverage to those who don’t currently have it,” said Sen. Walsh. “If you have private insurance and are happy with it, that’s great, the law won’t affect you at all, except by ensuring your insurance company uses the money you pay it every month for actual health care services instead of racking up huge annual profits and dolling out executive bonuses more than an average American will make in their lifetime.”

“If you don’t have insurance, though, this law makes it so that you can find an affordable option through the marketplace,” continued Sen. Walsh. “It adds competition to the insurance industry, something my colleagues in the majority party, who continually extoll the virtues of a free market, should be thrilled about. And, it lets citizens gain access to health care insurance in a fair and transparent way, which is the most important part.”

Starting on Oct. 1, Missourians will be able to find, compare and enroll in health insurance plans through Enroll Missouri.

To visit Sen. Walsh’s Health Care Reform Information Center and learn more about choosing an insurance plan through the marketplace, click here or visit www.senate.mo.gov/walsh/healthcare.

Senator Walsh regularly sends out legislative and district updates to constituents of the 13th District. To sign up, click here or visit her Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/walsh.