Timeline for Health Care Reform Changes

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law on March 23, 2010, when President Obama signed the bill passed by Congress. Some health reform provisions took effect immediately, such as providing access to insurance coverage for Americans with preexisting conditions and extending coverage to young people through their parents’ policies through age 26. The bulk of provisions will take effect in 2014.

Following is a timeline of key provisions that go into effect in 2012, 2013 and 2014. For a more detailed listing, visit http://www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/index.html.

2012
IMPROVING QUALITY AND LOWERING COSTS

• Encouraging Integrated Health Systems. The new law provides incentives for physicians to join together to form Accountable Care Organizations. These groups allow doctors to better coordinate patient care and improve the quality of care, help prevent disease and illness and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. If Accountable Care Organizations provide high-quality care and reduce costs to the health care system, they can keep some of the money that they have helped save. Effective January 1, 2012.
• Reducing Paperwork and Administrative Costs. Health care remains one of the few industries that relies on paper records. The new law will institute a series of changes to standardize billing and to require health plans to begin adopting and implementing rules for the secure, confidential, electronic exchange of health information. The goal of electronic health records is to reduce paperwork and administrative burdens, cut costs, reduce medical errors and, most importantly, improve the quality of care. First regulation effective October 1, 2012
• Understanding and Fighting Health Disparities. To help understand and reduce persistent health disparities, the law requires any ongoing or new federal health program to collect and report racial, ethnic and language data. The secretary of Health and Human Services will use this data to help identify and reduce health disparities. Effective March 2012.

2013

IMPROVING QUALITY AND LOWERING COSTS

• Improving Preventive Health Coverage. To expand the number of Americans receiving preventive care, the law provides new funding to state Medicaid programs that choose to cover preventive services for patients at little or no cost. Effective January 1, 2013.

INCREASING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE CARE