Table of Contents Summary of Health Care Reform

Federal health reform uses a "building blocks" approach that starts with the health insurance system we currently have in place in the United States. Health reform builds upon our current health insurance system to provide more people with access to health insurance coverage, establish legal protections for consumers, and set up mechanisms for consumers to shop knowledgeably for insurance.

Health reform includes the following key steps:

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States, including New York, have a role in health reform. For example, states have the option to set up their own health insurance exchange. For the most part, federal health reform establishes a "floor, not ceiling," allowing states to provide protections greater than those established under federal law. This is good news for New York, which already provides strong consumer protections, such as open enrollment and community rating that ensures access to health insurance coverage without regard to age, sex, health status and occupation. New York will work in partnership with the federal government to implement the federal law and coordinate it with New York law. States also provided input to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in developing guidance in a number of areas including consumer assistance and the review and disclosure of premium rate adjustments.

In 2011, the New York State Legislature passed and Governor Cuomo signed A8460/S5800, which updates the State's Insurance and Public Health Laws with the federal health care reform law's provisions regarding health insurance policies and contracts.

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Additional information on the web portal is available in the Fact Sheet on Establishing the Web Portal Called For in The Affordable Care Act - U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

The following consumer protections apply to all new health insurance plans and grandfathered plans that have plan years starting on or after September 23, 2010.

The following consumer protections apply to all new health insurance plans that have plan years starting on or after September 23, 2010. (These protections apply to grandfathered plans that have plan years starting on or after this date, except plans that offer individual coverage.)

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What is Health Care Reform? - Federal Health Care Reform ...