As President Obama signed the health care reform bill into law today, I was reminded of the 2008 election – where we got the first Black president and lost gay marriage in California. This new health care legislation will expand Medicaid coverage for people of color while excluding undocumented immigrants and attacking reproductive rights. Win some, lose some, the fight continues. At ColorLines.com, Flávio Casoy takes a look at what the new law will mean for communities of color:

This legislation is a first step in fixing a broken health care system and improving the lives of millions of people of color. When it goes into effect, the law will expand the eligibility of the Medicaid program to people who earn up to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (currently that’s set at $18,310 yearly income for a family of three). Many states have more generous eligibilities than the federal one, but others do not. So increasing eligibility will dramatically increase the number of people who are eligible for Medicaid, especially in more conservative states.

Later this week: the impact of the bill on reproductive rights.