Signed into law in March 2010, the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) will transform the way Californians obtain and pay for health insurance. Estimates are that once the law is fully implemented, 94% of the state's population will be covered by a health plan, through either an employer, a new health insurance exchange market, or expansions to public benefit programs such as Medi-Cal.
Related CHCF publications include:
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Implementing National Health Reform in California: Payment and Delivery System Changes (November 2011, Manatt Health Solutions) 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.
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Implementing National Health Reform in California: Opportunities for Improved Access to Care (March 2011, Manatt Health Solutions) 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.
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Implementing National Health Reform in California: Changes to Public and Private Insurance (June 2010, Manatt Health Solutions) 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.
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Insurance Provisions of the Affordable Care Act: An Implementation Timeline for California (May 2010, Manatt Health Solutions) 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.
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The Affordable Care Act: What Californians Should Know (May 2010) is a two-page guide designed to acquaint consumers with the key reforms in the law and what their coverage options will be after the major pieces are in place. JPEG files of the four central elements are available for use in newsletters and other educational materials.
These publications are available as Document Downloads. Learn more about CHCF's Health Reform and Public Programs Initiative.
Video of Testimony at Joint Hearing in May 2010
Marian Mulkey, director of CHCF's Health Reform and Public Programs Initiative, testified at a joint hearing of the California Senate and Assembly Health Committees on May 12, 2010, and discussed implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act. Watch the hearing on The California Channel site.