There's been a lot of talk and confusion about health care reform, but when you actually look at the changes there are some good reforms that could help. The first set of changes to take effect will begin Thursday, September 23, six months after the health reform bill was signed.

On Thursday, a series of benefits and protections will go into effect under the Affordable Care Act.

Some provisions going into effect include one that lets parents keep their children on their health insurance plans until they're 26. Another requires insurers to cover children with pre-existing conditions. Health plans cannot limit or deny benefits or deny coverage for a child younger than age 19 simply because the child has a pre-existing condition like asthma.

Insurance companies can no longer drop you if you get sick. Which includes the ban of lifetime caps on coverage. Meaning insurers can no longer put a lifetime dollar limit on the benefits of those with costly conditions like cancer.

Insurers will also no longer be able to cancel your policy without proving fraud. Health plans can't retroactively cancel insurance coverage, solely because you or your employer made an honest mistake on your insurance application.

In the new health plans, you now have the right to demand that your health plan reconsider a decision to deny payment for a test or treatment. You now have the right to appeal any claim that has been denied.

If you've been without insurance for six months and have a pre-existing medical condition, you can apply for coverage through new high-risk pools which are being set up in each state. The program will last until January, 2014, when other options kick in and insurers won't be able to discriminate on the basis of health status.

The new plans will allow you to receive cost-free preventative services. Those services include, screenings, vaccinations, and counseling without any out-of-pocket costs to you.

You can also choose the primary care doctor or pediatrician you want from your health plan's provider network,and it lets you see an OB-GYN doctor without needing a referral from another doctor. As well as use the nearest emergency room without penalty. New health plans can't require you to get prior approval before seeking emergency room services from a provider of hospital outside your plan's network. The company's will no longer be able to require higher co-payments for out-of-network emergency room services.

For an overview of the changes click here.