The primary goal of the 1-year-old healthcare law -- a goal that has gotten scant mention by supporters and opponents alike -- is to offer a financial safety net to tens of millions of Americans by providing or subsidizing their health insurance coverage. The lack of attention given to the provision that will eventually expand coverage to millions of additional people stems partly from its not kicking in until 2014, nearly three years from now. For now, supporters of the reform law have focused on a hodgepodge of provisions that have already taken effect, hoping they build support for the law. Many of those provisions -- allowing adult children to remain on their parents' health plans until they turn 26; eliminating lifetime caps on coverage -- benefit the middle class and people with insurance.
