In new health law, a bridge to Medicare

The sweeping federal health care law making its major public debut next month was meant for people like Juanita Stonebraker, 63, from Oakland, Md., who retired from her job in a hospital billing office a year and a half ago. She was able to continue her health insurance coverage from the hospital for a time, but when she tried to find an individual policy on her own, none of the insurers she contacted would cover her because she was diabetic. "I didn't even get to tell them about the heart attack," said Ms. Stonebraker, who has been without health insurance since July.