This week marks the third anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As benefits professionals look toward the law’s full implementation next year, here is a quick look at important dates for PPACA past and future.
March 23, 2010: The day Obama signed PPACA into effect. He reflects on that day in a statement released Saturday, “Three years ago today, I signed into law the principle that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one should go broke just because they get sick.”
June 2013: Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, made multiple media appearances at the end of last week around the anniversary. She authored a blog on the Huffington Post, discussing another step to come: “In June, the site will be unveiling the new Marketplace. You'll be able to learn everything you need to know about the Marketplace, including how it works, the benefits of health insurance, how to choose a plan based on your needs and lifestyle, and more. Then in the fall, you can use this site to enroll in a plan from home, or from any place you can access the Web.”
Oct. 1, 2013: The day the state, federal and partnership exchanges are scheduled to begin open enrollment for those who are currently uninsured or looking to switch to the exchanges. There has been growing speculation growing over the amount of work HHS has yet to do to meet this deadline. Earlier in March the executive director of the National Governors Association, Dan Crippen, told a crowd of carriers at AHIP’s policy conference that there is a chance some of the exchanges won’t be ready by Oct. 1, but HHS will continue to work hard towards the deadline.
Jan. 1, 2014: The day coverage begins for those who have enrolled on the public exchanges. The Congressional Budget Office released updated predictions in February that up to 7 million people will gain coverage on the exchange in the first year. This is a decrease of 13 million people from CBO’s initial projections about health care reform in March 2010.
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