Overview

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, into law. The following summary of the law, and changes made to the law by subsequent legislation, focuses on provisions to expand coverage, control health care costs, and improve health care delivery system.

12 Main Provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

1. Ensure that all Americans have access to quality affordable health care
2. Create a new regulated marketplace where consumers can purchase affordable health care
3. Extend much needed relief to small businesses
4. Improve Medicare by helping seniors and people with disabilities afford their prescription drugs
5. Prohibit denials of coverage based on preexisting conditions
6. Limit out of pocket costs so that Americans have security and peace of mind
7. Help young adults by requiring insurers to allow all dependents to remain on their parents plan until age 26
8. Expand Medicaid to millions of low income Americans
9. Provide sliding scale subsidies to make insurance premiums affordable
10. Hold insurance companies accountable for how our healthcare dollars are spent
11. Clamp down on insurance company abuses
12. Invest in preventive care

Updates to the Affordable Care Act

2019 Open Enrollment Date

The open enrollment for the 2019 coverage year will be from November 1, 2018 to December 15, 2018. To enroll, go to www.healthcare.gov