Health Care Reform Information
The passage by Congress of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will result in many changes affecting health insurers and their members. While many of the details of these changes are still being developed and are not fully known, we recognize that you may have questions about health care reform and how it affects you.
We are reviewing the new law and, while we don’t yet have answers to every question you might have, we are committed to sharing health reform-related information and responding to your inquiries as quickly as possible. We are moving ahead aggressively to implement the changes of the new federal law in as timely and effective manner as possible.
We want to be responsive to your questions and concerns about how these reforms may affect you, your family or your business. Check this page regularly for the latest information and updates on major changes affecting CareFirst members and other information on health care reform.
Reform Resources
Several organizations and government agencies provide information about federal health care reform. The materials listed here were not produced by CareFirst.
Please use these resources as a general reference because they may not address questions that are specific to your state, your health plan or personal circumstances.
BlueCross BlueShield Association
CareFirst is a licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association (BCBSA).
- AskBlue Health Care Reform
- Health Care Reform Analysis
- Health Care Reform Reference Guide
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Draft Exchange Model
- America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Comment on Exchanges
- BCBSA Responses on Exchanges
Government Agencies
- Federal Health Care Reform Web Site - Learn about your coverage options, as well as get easy access to a wide variety of information about health insurance, wellness programs, hospital quality data and health care reform.
- Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council
- Internal Revenue Service – HSA
Other Resources
- Health Reform Timeline - The Kaiser Family Foundation has developed this implementation timeline as an interactive tool designed to explain how and when the provisions of the health reform law will be implemented over the next several years.
- Health Reform: The First Six Months - Consumers Union has revamped the content on its Consumer Reports Health page to include this guide to health care reform.
- Kaiser Reform Summary - The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which has closely tracked the federal health care reform legislative process over the past two years, has produced a section-by-section summary of the new law that you may find useful in understanding the law’s various provisions.
- Health Care Reform Summary Timeline - CareFirst is a member of the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which has produced a number of publications useful in better understanding the new health care reforms, including this timeline for implementation of the new law.