After more than three years of political controversy and legal challenges, the major coverage provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act are set to take effect January 1 -- yet polling finds roughly half of Americans say they don't know enough about the health reform law to understand how it will affect their families. With new state health insurance marketplaces set to enroll people in coverage starting October 1, local and national print, online, television and radio news outlets will play a critical role in educating their audiences about the law's new realities.

As part of its Media Fellowships Program, the Kaiser Family Foundation presents a series of free, interactive web briefings exclusively for journalists to address key aspects of the the Affordable Care Act, its implications for consumers, and strategies for connecting the dots for different audiences.

This webinar looks at insurance rates and plan offerings in the new state-based marketplaces. The Co-Directors of the Foundation's Program for the Study of Health Reform and Private Insurance, Senior Vice President Larry Levitt and Vice President Gary Claxton, will give a brief presentation on the early reports of rates, how and why they vary, and what consumers would pay after taking tax credits into account. They will also answer journalists' questions about the new insurance market rules taking effect in 2014 and how to interpret insurance rates.