The latest issue of the Northwest Bulletin focuses on the Affordable Care Act and the challenges and opportunities brought about by this legislation for maternal and child health professionals. The issue is available online at http://depts.washington.edu/nwbfch/ or http://depts.washington.edu/nwbfch/PDFs/NWBv25n1.pdf (PDF) ***Alonzo Plough, in his editorial, describes the Affordable Care Acts focus on prevention through programs, public education, expanding insurance coverage for preventive services, and research and evaluation. The legislation emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaborations and engagement with communities. He states that the public is still uninformed about the Affordable Care Act and urges maternal and child health professionals to speak up about how our programs improve health outcomes and prevent health problems. ***The Affordable Care Act provides funding to implement the life course perspective as a core component and organizing principle of our health care and public health systems. Jane Rees, in her article, describes the research behind the life course perspective and the rationale for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau's promotion of this perspective. ***The legislation also includes funding for home visiting during pregnancy and early childhood. As Kathy Carson points out, home visiting is a strategy with a long history in public health, but is now receiving national attention because of the accumulation of evidence of its effectiveness. She briefly describes that research and provides resources where readers can obtain more information.