Massachusetts was the first state to require all residents to have health insurance. Some industry experts have looked at the state as a harbinger of what the nation's healthcare landscape will look like down the road. If the rest of the country does take after Massachusetts, a number of children will still be uninsured after reform takes place.

The Public News Service says 32,000 Bay State children and teens are without health insurance. Health Care For All health policy and outreach manager Dayanne Leal told the news organization that several factors, including language barriers, contributes to many children being uninsured.

Health Care For All aims to enroll children in MassHealth or the Children's Medical Security Plan, two of the state's health insurance programs.

"It takes about 10 minutes to do that; we're going to be mailing the applications to the parents, just for them to sign and return to us. No child should be going without health coverage," Leal told Public News Service.

To help cover more children and teens, the government has decided to expand Medicaid eligibility. Furthermore, the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from denying children coverage due to a pre-existing condition. Such measures will help people get coverage even if they've struggled to get affordable health insurance quotes elsewhere.

A number of employers are rolling out benefit plan options this fall. With all the new healthcare rules and regulations beginning to take affect, some employees may not know how to best take advantage of all the options available to them.

Health savings accounts aren't new, but many more employers are beginning to offer this option. While a health savings account may seem like a good idea for some people, people need to carefully look over the plan in detail.

CNN Money notes that while a person may realize lower premiums than with a traditional individual or family health insurance plan, the deductible is higher. Furthermore, they note that young, healthy people tend to benefit from health savings accounts the most since they don't requite much medical care.

As with any major financial decision and insurance plan, consumers should take their own personal situations into account. As mentioned, insurance needs are different if one has dependents or is single. Coverage needs do change over time so it's always important to revisit plan options during open enrollment period at work.

When an employee looks at their paycheck, they might have noticed they are taking home less money than they used to could be attributed in part to rising healthcare costs.

Data from Hewitt Associates shows that healthcare costs have reached a five-year high. While reform cannot be held solely responsible for rate hikes, some are attributing a large portion of it to the new regulations.

Hewitt notes that employers are also seeing more high-cost claims being made. Hewitt healthcare practice leader Ken Sperling says the transitionary period between now and when many new provisions are implemented is making employers and their staffs struggle.

"Companies cannot afford to take a 'wait and see' approach to health care benefits," says Sperling. "Now is the time for organizations to be bolder about the strategies, programs and tactics they're using to contain cost and motivate employees to engage in their own health."

Having a workforce that is more engaged and motivated to be in shape may result in overall lower medical expenses and more affordable health insurance quotes. Many employers have begun to integrate wellness programs into their benefits packages to encourage employees to take control of their own well-being.