More money for community health centers. Immediate help for the uninsured. No more lifetime limits on coverage.

Under the health care legislation that's moving through Congress, these and other benefits would take effect quickly and should produce a noticeable impact on consumers, according to many independent analysts and Democrats.

"This would be a substantial package that could probably be quite helpful," said John Holahan, the director of the health policy center at Washington's Urban Institute, a research group.

Paul Ginsburg, the president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, called help for Medicare prescription-drug beneficiaries and people with pre-existing medical conditions "highly visible improvements for individuals already highly aware of the shortcomings of the existing system."

Leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate are expected to reach agreement on the legislation in the next few weeks, with the aim of having a final bill ready for President Barack Obama's signature later this month.

The two bills have several similar immediate-impact features. Both would bar lifetime limits on coverage, starting six months after the measure is enacted.

They also would expand community health centers, where consumers could go for care, and would require health plans to allow young people, up to age 26 in the Senate bill and 27 in the House bill, to stay on their parents' policies. Age requirements now vary by state.

Both bills provide immediate aid for the uninsured. The Senate would provide $5 billion to help finance a temporary program that would provide coverage to uninsured people with pre-existing conditions, effective 90 days after the bill is signed.

The House bill also would create a temporary insurance program for those who have trouble getting coverage, effective immediately upon passage.