Medicare, health care reform, and older adults

Nurses will play a key role in health care reform, educating and engaging consumers, providing input into and monitoring implementation, and assisting organizations with transition to new policies. As the largest group of professional health care providers, nurses must be key players in the actualization of health care reform. This article addresses how The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 will affect the solvency of Medicare, what older adults will gain, effects on quality and effectiveness of care, cost reduction, changes in taxes, and the key provisions of special interest to nurses.