The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) will transform the way Californians obtain and pay for health insurance. The state is well on the road to implementing aspects of the law, which was largely upheld by the US Supreme Court in June 2012. Once the law is fully implemented, up to 92% of the state's non-elderly population will be covered by a health plan, either through an employer, a new health insurance exchange market, or expansions to public benefit programs such as Medi-Cal.

Over the coming months, CHCF will continue to support the state in implementation and update some of the resources below as needed:

• Implementing National Health Reform in California: Payment and Delivery System Changes (November 2011) focuses on the ACA provisions intended to better align payment approaches with high-value care. It offers an overview of mandatory reimbursement changes, optional pilot approaches, and related transparency provisions, describing who is affected and how responsibility for implementation is shared among state and private entities.
• Implementing National Health Reform in California: Opportunities for Improved Access to Care (March 2011) offers a framework for helping policymakers and stakeholders to navigate the federal legislation and anticipate the challenges that lie ahead, with particular attention to state opportunities and requirements related to the ability of Californians to obtain care.
• Implementing National Health Reform in California: Changes to Public and Private Insurance (June 2010) provides an initial assessment of the work ahead as California begins to implement the provisions of the ACA related to health insurance. It identifies the specific elements in the law that the state must or may follow, with a particular focus on the component tasks, decisions, and actions.
• Insurance Provisions of the Affordable Care Act: An Implementation Timeline for California (May 2010) is a tool for state policymakers and other stakeholders that charts the decade-long implementation schedule for the provisions of the ACA that relate to both public and private health insurance. It is published in two formats: a single 11 x 17-inch page or two 8.5 x 11-inch pages.

These publications are available as Document Downloads. Learn more about CHCF's Health Reform and Public Programs Initiative.