Health Law Fact-Checking And Helpful Hints

News outlets examine claims about the health law, including the "five top myths that refuse to die." They also provide consumer information about the next stage of implementation -- the open enrollment period that begins Oct. 1 for online insurance marketplaces in every state.

Minnesota Public Radio: Top 5 Myths About 'Obamacare' That Refuse To Die
The Affordable Care Act has been on the books for almost three and a half years. But myths about the law persist. Many people are confused about the law because it is big and complicated, said University of Minnesota political science professor Lawrence Jacobs, who has studied and written about Obamacare. But Jacobs also pointed out that people tend to be entrenched in their beliefs about the law so they aren't necessarily trying to inform themselves in ways that would dispel myths (Richert, 9/9).

Philadelphia Inquirer/Kaiser Health News: Checking The Facts Behind Obamacare Claims
Lori Robertson has been covering the Affordable Care Act from the earliest debates on it in 2009. A journalist for FactCheck.org, the nonpartisan nonprofit that monitors the accuracy of e-mails, viral claims, and statements by politicians, Robertson researches and writes about many statements involving the ACA. 'We fact-check all sides,' she said. Now is a hectic time for her group, part of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, because the law is reaching its climactic phase. Here's a sample of statements and claims FactCheck.org has checked on Obamacare (Calandra, 9/9).

PBS NewsHour: Will Your Employer Drop Coverage Under Obamacare?
The promise from President Obama was straightforward enough: "If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away," he said. That was four years ago, during the build-up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Today, just months before several major provisions of the law take full-effect, many Americans still aren't sure whether to believe him. And for good reason. Wildly conflicting predictions are being reported almost daily (Kane, 9/9).

The Wall Street Journal: The Health-Care Overhaul: What You Need To Know
Whatever its larger merits or shortcomings, the federal health-care overhaul seems likely to benefit one demographic group in particular: the 50-plus crowd. Starting Oct. 1, state-based health-insurance exchanges created by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will open for business. For those without access to insurance through work, or for the self-employed who have been buying coverage as sole proprietors, the exchanges will serve as clearinghouses for evaluating and buying health plans (Tergesen, 9/8).

CNN: Taxpayer Guide To Obamacare
For individuals and businesses, Obamacare means both new taxes and new tax breaks. A bunch are intended strictly to raise revenue -- for instance, a new tax on medical device makers. But others are designed to encourage certain behaviors, such as the mandate that individuals buy insurance or pay a penalty (Sahadi, 9/9).