A Summary of the New Health Care Laws Broken Down by Year

Here is a summary of a complicated health reform bill, and of how the federal government will reform heathcare over the next decade:
Insurance Coverage for 2010
Health reform begins immediately in 2010. Here is a list of what to expect this year.
•Adults who are denied coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition can join a high-risk insurance pool.
•Insurance companies must provide policies for children with pre-existing conditions.
•Insurance companies will not be allowed to revoke existing policies if people get ill.
•Lifetime limits on coverage will be banned.
•Annual limits will be restricted.
•Preventive services will be fully covered, with no co-pays or deductibles.
•Coverage will be available for dependent children until they turn 26.
•People in the Medicare prescription drug program will receive a $250 rebate as the first step in closing the coverage gap that requires payment of full freight spending $2,700 on drugs.
•Certain small businesses will start getting tax credits to offset up to 35 percent of the cost of insuring their employees.
•Insurance plans must have "an effective appeals process" for decisions and claims.
•States will get grants to set up programs that help consumers with complaints or questions about health insurance.
•The federal government will set up a state by state website to help consumers decipher insurance options.
•The first tax increase begins with a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services.

Heath Care Reform in 2011
According to Politics Daily.com, medicare changes will include free annual wellness visits; little to no cost-sharing for preventive care, like immunizations and cancer screenings; bonuses to primary care doctors and general surgeons; a new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test ways to provide better, more efficient care; and, the start of a phase-out of overpayments to private Medicare Advantage insurers. People in the prescription "hole" will receive discounts on prescriptions.

2012 Health Reform
There will be money for primary care services and new incentives to encourage doctors to join together in accountable care organizations. The government will track re-admission rates at hospitals and impose penalty fees on hospitals with the highest rates.

Higher Taxes for Wealthy in 2013
This is when higher taxes will begin for households with income above $250,000 and individuals above $200,000. The Medicare payroll tax on earnings above those amounts will rise from 1.45 percent to 2.35 percent. Unearned income above those amounts, such as dividends, will now be subject to a 3.8 percent tax.
Maximum contributions to pre-tax Flexible Savings Account contributions will be limited to $2,500 a year (down from the current $3,050 for individuals).
Medicare will sponsor a national pilot program on "payment bundling" – paying hospitals, doctors and other providers based on patient outcome not services provided.

More Consumer Protection Begins in 2014

2014 will be the year that more consumer protection begins.
•Insurance companies will not be able to deny policies to anyone based on their health status or to refuse coverage of a treatment based on pre-existing health conditions.
•Insurance companies will be limited to charge higher rates to people based on age, geography, family size or tobacco use will be limited.
•Annual limits on coverage will be banned.
•Each state will open a health insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses without coverage to be able to comparison shop for standardized health packages.
•Multi-state private plans become available nationwide and supervised by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
•Tax credits will be available for individuals who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but have incomes below 400 percent of poverty.
•Most individuals will be required to buy insurance coverage or pay penalties that start at $95 in 2014 and rise to $695 or 2.5 percent of income in 2016.
•Employers with 50 or more workers who do not offer coverage will have to pay annual fees.
•Medicaid eligibility will increase to 133 percent of the poverty level of $14,404 for individuals for everyone under 65 when qualified for Medicare.

What Healthcare Reform Means in 2015
The federal government will form an Independent Payment Advisory Board to find ways to lower Medicare costs and promote better care with recommendations going to Congress and private insurers.

New Controversial Taxing Begins in 2018
This is when the most controversial new tax begins; a 40 percent excise tax on insurance companies and plan administrators for any family plan that costs more than $27,500. The tax applies to the cost above that threshold with higher amounts for retirees over 55 and plans that cover workers in high-risk jobs.

New Healthcare System in Place By 2019
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office as acquired by Politics Daily.com, reduction of uninsured people is estimated to be 32 million at this time. An estimated 23 million individuals will still be uninsured, one-third illegal immigrants. Coverage of legal residents too young for Medicare, under age 65, will be 94 percent, up from 83 percent as of 2010.