New York is moving forward with implementation of the new health reform law, and is currently in the development and design phase of operations. At the federal level, the Department of Health and Human Services and several other agencies are in the process of issuing rules and regulations on many of the finer points of the law (see the bottom of the page for HCFANY’s comments on these rules).
Timeline for Implementation of Health Reform
Most of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) must be in place by 2014. This gives New York roughly four years to plan, design, and implement everything. The bulk of this will consist of getting the new insurance Exchange up and running. So, for now, this is the basic timeline for implementation that we are looking at for New York:
- 2010: This is the year that NY will put together its basic blueprint for health reform. Governor Paterson has appointed The Governor’s Health Reform Implementation Cabinet and The Health Reform Advisory Committee to examine basic questions, form work groups, apply for federal grants, explore threshold questions and, ultimately draft legislation.
- 2011: Enact the governing legislation for the Exchange.
- 2012: This will be the year of heavy lifting – New York must build the infrastructure, staff, and capacity to run the Exchange and having the participating insurance plans and products lined up.
- 2013: The federal government will let NY know if we have met the requirements of the law and are ready to go online. There will be a “soft launch” of the insurance Exchange by July 2013 and new applications will be accepted.
- 2014: Everything should be up and running.
Some specifics on implementation in NY:
Click below to read HCFANY’s comments submitted to the federal regulations proposed on the following topics:
- Healthcare.gov Website
- Healthcare Reform Insurance Web-portal Requirements
- Insurance appeals & external reviews
- Insurance Exchange
- Insurance Exchange – Proposed Rule on Establishment of Health Insurance Exchanges for Qualified Health Plans Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- Insurance Exchange – Proposed Rule on Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Exchange Functions in the Individual Market; Eligibility Determinations; Exchange Standards for Employers
- Insurance Rate Increases & Disclosure Reviews
- Medicaid – Proposed Rule on Eligibility Changes Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- Patient’s Bill of Rights
- Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP)
- Premium Tax Credits – Proposed Rule on Health Insurance Premium Tax Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act
- Summary of Coverage and Benefits Form and Uniform Glossary
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