Discuss in detail these major pieces of legislation passed by Congress.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

This federal statute was signed into law on March 23, 2010, and is the most significant healthcare reform legislation of the first decade of the 21st century. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected savings of $143 billion over the first decade and a second decade deficit reduction of $1.2 trillion. Its major provisions include:

• Health insurance market reforms including:
• Subsidized premiums for people with pre-existing conditions
• Eliminating lifetime limits on benefits
• The option of covering children on parents' insurance until the age of 26
• Development of state-based and state-administered health insurance exchanges
• Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program
• Expansion of Medicaid to individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of federal poverty level
• Individual mandate to have minimum acceptable coverage or pay a tax penalty
• Employers with 50 or more employees must provide healthcare coverage
• Premium subsidies to individuals
• Small employer tax credits (CRS 2010)