Implementing the ACA
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The law will not be implemented all at once. Portions of the law have already taken effect. Other changes will be implemented through 2014 and beyond.
Return to this page regularly to read about the latest updates related to AAPCHO’s advocacy efforts in support of implementing the ACA, as well as to download related resources and to explore additional relevant information.
About the Health Insurance Marketplace
The Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace) is a new way to find and buy health coverage. Open enrollment in the Marketplace starts October 1, 2013 and coverage can start as soon as January 1, 2014.
For Patients & Consumers
If you’re a consumer ready to learn about and buy health insurance through the Marketplace, go to www.healthcare.gov, the official consumer site for the Marketplace or call a customer service representative, available 24/7 at 1-800-318-2596.
For Providers
If you’re a provider learning about the Marketplace and helping people apply, go to marketplace.cms.gov and see below for additional resources.
- Health Insurance Marketplace: 10 Things Providers Need to Know (CMS)
- Health Insurance Marketplace: 10 Things to Tell Your Patients (CMS)
Additional Resources
QUICK LINKS
I. Medicaid Expansion and Marketplace Implementation
II. Outreach & Enrollment
III. Rules, Regulations & Resource Updates for Providers
IV. AA&NHOPIs, Immigrants, & Other Vulnerable Populations – Coming Soon!
I. Medicaid Expansion and Marketplace Implementation
[Infographics]
- The AAPI Community: Affordable Care Act (White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders)
- A 50-State Look at Medicaid Expansion (Families USA)
- Visualizing Health Policy: Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[PDFs]
- Advancing Health Equity Through Health Reform Implementation (National Academy for State Health Policy)
- Status of CMS Efforts to Establish Federally Facilitated Health Insurance Exchanges (Government Accountability Office)
- Implementing Cultural and Linguistic Requirements in Health Insurance Exchanges (Texas Health Institute)
[Websites and Web Articles]
- State Health Insurance Marketplaces (CMS)
- Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
- Quick Take: Essential Health Benefits: What Have States Decided for Their Benchmark? (Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Essential Health Benefits Standards: Ensuring Quality, Affordable Coverage (CMS)
- Questions About Essential Health Benefits (Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs: Essential Health Benefits in Alternative Benefit Plans, Eligibility Notices, Fair Hearing and Appeal Processes, and Premiums and Cost Sharing; Exchanges: Eligibility and Enrollment (CMS)
II. Outreach & Enrollment
[PDFs]
- Health Center Outreach and Enrollment Assistance Supplemental Funding Opportunity – Frequently Asked Questions (Bureau of Primary Health Care)
- Helping Consumers Understand and Use Health Insurance in 2014 (Institute of Medicine)
[Websites and Web Articles]
- HealthCare.gov – The Department of Health and Human Services updated this website to make it easy for consumers to sign up for coverage.
- CuidadoDeSalud.gov – This website is for Spanish-speaking consumers and ail also be updated to match HealthCare.gov’s new consumer focus.
- marketplace.cms.gov – This new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services resource website has the latest official materials about the Marketplace.
- Key Lessons from Medicaid and CHIP for Outreach and Enrollment Under the Affordable Care Act (Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Subsidy Calculator – Premium Assistance for Coverage in Exchanges (Kaiser Family Foundation)
III. Rules, Regulations & Resource Updates for Providers
[PDFs]
- Key Considerations for Supporting Medicaid Accountable Care Organization Providers (Center for Health Care Strategies)
- Continuous Quality Improvement Strategies to Optimize Your Practice (The National Learning Consortium)
[Websites and Web Articles]
- How to Implement EHRs (HealthIT.gov) – Assess Your Practice Readiness and Continue Quality Improvement
- Program Integrity Proposed Rule (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
- The Collaborative Care Model: An Approach for Integrating Physical and Mental Health Care in Medicaid Health Homes (Center for Health Care Strategies)
- What the Healthcare Marketplace Means for Practices and Patients – Note: Access to module requires free account registration. (Medscape)
- The National Quality Strategy and You: How CMS Quality Measures Affect Policy and Practice – Note: Access to module requires free account registration. (Medscape)
- New NCQA Program Extends Medical Home Concepts Beyond Primary Care – A link to the new PCMH standard or NCQA Patient-Centered Specialty Practice Recognition is included near the bottom of this news release. (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
- Key Factors for Improving Care Delivery in Small Primary Care Practices with High Medicaid Volume (Center for Health Care Strategies)
Related Video
Kaiser Family Foundation (July 2013)