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Just a few days after announcing it will fund $250 million to bolster the nation's workforce of primary care providers, the Obama administration on Friday announced another $250 million will augment efforts to expand prevention and public health infrastructure. "With these investments, we are tackling the underlying causes of chronic diseases as well as strengthening our ability to meet the public health challenges of the 21st century," said U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin.

“Particularly during this recession, the health care industry has been one of the few industries adding jobs,” said Rick Black, spokesman for Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp.

Hospitals are not just places for sick people. In many communities, they represent economic stability, a major source of community employment, and an important staple for many other businesses and jobs.

Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, is the main source of health care insurance for 6.8 million people, or one in six Californians. During the 2008 – 09 fiscal year, it drew $27 billion in federal funds into the state’s health care system and accounted for 19 percent of General Fund spending.

Small businesses that qualify for tax credits under the new federal health reform law might not experience immediate benefits because of recent rate increases by insurance companies...

Sometime after July 1, under the terms of the health care reform, California will establish a new, statewide insurance pool that will offer subsidized health insurance to people with pre-existing conditions. Tens of thousands of Californians may participate.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) expands Medicaid to nearly all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL) which will extend coverage to large numbers of the nation’s uninsured population, especially adults. However, the ultimate reach of the program will depend heavily on both federal and state actions to implement the new law.

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Out of all of the roughly 5,000 U.S. hospitals, only about one in 30 has deep expertise in caring for children with serious problems. This year's U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of hospitals highlight 62 different hospitals that are “the best” in at least one specialty. Two of California’s children’s hospitals made the list, including Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto.

What you need to know about how your family will benefit, what you'll really pay, whether you'll get better or worse care, and what could go wrong from here.