Greetings! 
 

For the first time since the enactment of the Health Care Reform Act (Obamacare), a US Court of Appeals upheld Congress' right to enact health care reform law.

This is a very important decision because it was made by prominent conservative and liberal judges, taking some of the momentum out of the issue of repeal and reminding us that decisions should be made based on the law, not politics.

Changes are being implemented over a period of time. Any changes that have not already occurred do not take effect until 2014 when most of the major changes really kick in.

For now, here are some interesting and fun facts you might not know:

• Health care reform requires restaurants with 20 or more chain locations to include the calorie content next to each item on the menu. This will allow for individuals to make better-informed decisions regarding their nutrition. In 2009, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 26.7% of Americans self-reported themselves as obese.
   
• A total of $50 million will be used for Community Transformation Grants to encourage healthy living; this money may be used, for example, to provide nutritional school lunch programs.
   
• A 10% tax will be imposed on all indoor tanning sessions.

Sincerely,