Links to recommended sources of information

The Affordable Care Act is actually part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act-a law signed by President Obama in early 2010 and one that will provide many health-related provisions over a four-year period. For an easy to understand introduction about this new health law, click here.

The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) is a new program that will provide a health coverage option for individuals who have been uninsured for at least six months; have a pre-existing condition; and have been denied coverage (or have been offered insurance but without coverage of pre-existing condition) by a private insurance company. To learn more about the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), click here.

Employee Benefits Security Administration's (EBSA) home page is a source of information that really needs to be bookmarked. Most people will not readily recognize this federal agency, nor realize which programs it oversees. The EBSA site provides a wealth of  information such as consumer information, compliance assistance, publications, the latest news, workshops and webcasts on many topics, including ERISA, COBRA, and the Affordable Care Act (all of which are meshed together under EBSA). To access the EBSA homepage, click here.

A few patient-friendly articles about ERISA are available from the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association library of articles as follows:

Disability Discussion—Barbara Comerford, ESQ
Disability Insurance Claims: General Information  by Attorney George Thompson, a specialist in Long-term Disability.


To watch the video of the meeting, which we highly recommend, go to the CFSAC May 2011 archived videos webpage and click on video for Day 2, May 11, 2011. A screen will open up and the lecture will start promptly. Below this screen is a display of the items scheduled for Day 2 discussion. Scroll down and click on the title for desired topic and the video will reposition itself (after a brief buffering).

The Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association has already posted an article highlighting key topics discussed on Day 1. Taking into consideration the amount of material presented over this two-day period and wanting to give adequate attention and coverage to major issues, we have decided to also create a third, separate article. The last installment article for the Spring 2011 CFSAC meeting will report on the committee's discussion and recommendations. Stay tuned for the release of the final article in the near future.